DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63385/etsd.v1i1.157Keywords:
Heritage Resources, Nanka, Sustainable Tourism, Tourism GrowthAbstract
Despite the growing recognition of cultural heritage as a catalyst for sustainable tourism in Nigeria, rural communities like Nanka that possess unique heritage assets remain underexplored in academic literature and policy frameworks. This study addresses the research gap by conducting an ethnographic assessment of Nanka’s tangible and intangible heritage resources, with the aim of evaluating their potential for sustainable cultural heritage tourism development. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, field observations and visits to traditional sites, with key twelve (12) informants including community elders, custodians of deities and traditional leaders. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. Findings reveal a rich tapestry of heritage assets, including sacred rivers, ancestral deities, festivals, traditional title systems, and marriage customs, which collectively embody the cultural identity of the Nanka people. These resources, if appropriately conserved and promoted, could serve as powerful tools for tourism-driven rural development, community empowerment, and cultural preservation. The study contributes practically by proposing a community-led tourism development framework that integrates indigenous knowledge systems with modern heritage management strategies. This research also contributes to academic discourse by offering a culturally grounded model for heritage resource assessment and its application in tourism planning.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.