ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF AN ECOTOURISM DESTINATION: EVIDENCE FROM ERIN IJESHA WATERFALLS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Environmental quality is crucial at any ecotourism site, and tourism locations that neglect these responsibilities risk losing the chance to attract tourists. A sure way to ensure satisfactory environmental quality is to regularly assess the condition of environmental amenities or services.  However, the literature has documented only a few studies on Nigerian ecotourism destinations. This study, therefore, evaluates the condition of environmental characteristics at Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls, Osun State, Nigeria, to gain insight into improving environmental quality of ecotourism destinations. An on-site assessment was conducted by experts through direct observation using an assessment instrument developed from empirically adapted standards in the literature. A purposive sampling technique based on tourists’ willingness to participate was adopted, and data were collected from 35 tourists over two weeks using questionnaires on the condition of environmental amenities and services, as well as their availability. Findings revealed that environmental amenities in the study area appeared desolate, as the site was not perceived by the management to be under any serious environmental threat, thus resulting in limited government intervention over the past decade. The availability of amenities was uneven, with critical facilities such as electricity, health services, sports infrastructure, nightlife, and traffic management notably lacking. The mean index of 3.326 and average Relative Condition Index (RCI) of 59.3% indicate that environmental quality does not meet the required standards and reflect a reliance on outdated amenities. The study provides empirical evidence on environmental quality in Nigerian ecotourism destinations within the Global South.