Abstract

This study examines residents’ perception of Carnival Calabar festival and tourism development in Calabar City, Nigeria. It intends to understand whether tourism development of the festival is commonly perceived as positive or negative in the city. A survey research technique was utilized for this study; thus, a total of 200 usable questionnaires were administered to the respondents in Calabar municipality. The findings revealed that, majority of residents have positive attitude about tourism. Findings revealed that pride in heritage, unification of the host community and employment opportunities associated to the event are the primary factors that influence tourism development of the festival. However, regardless of the general positive attitude accorded to tourism development of the festival, there are varying opinions by the residents on tourism influence in Calabar City. These opinions are largely influenced by the perceived benefits from tourism related activities. The results of this study contribute to the data for the management and sustainable development of festivals for tourism in Africa.