APPRAISAL OF THE IMPLEMENTATION

The Tinapa Business Resort is one of the reputable tourist destinations and attractions in the country (Nigeria), and the world at large. Each year, thousands of tourists other visitors embark on trips to Tinapa. This study undertakes an evaluation of the Tinapa Resort with a view to have an insight into the achievement of the objectives for which the resort was established.The study analyzes the performance of the Tinapa Tourist Resort. It is an evaluation study which x-rays the functionality, efficiency and profitability of the Tinapa Tourist and Business Resort since inception. The study provides insight into the activities of the Resort as it highlights the volume of tourist visit, patronage of the various facility and activity areas and income generation. The quality of facilities are also brought to the fore.

The approach and methodology employed for the study has included data collected from published information and documentation on Tinapa, information from ministries and parastatals in connection with Tinapa and the tourism industry, journals, books and magazines. Much of the materials for this study were obtained from field survey, administering of questionnaires, photographing, personal observation and interviews.

The findings of this research have revealed that the Tinapa Business and Tourist resort has been developed to the required standard and has met over 80% of its objectives. The facilities which were proposed are in place, the level of patronage is impressive and the return on investment is tremendous.

Tourist resorts are essential components of the tourism industry. They are places that thousands of people visit on daily basis for leisure activities, recreation and tourism purposes.

The Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary defines a resort as ―a place where a lot of people go on holiday or vacation.‖ They could be seaside, mountain, spa, ski resorts and others.

They constitute one of the major supporting structures for activities that promote tourism. According to Krippendorf (1987) any place having unique features can be developed and promoted as a resort. He further explains that resorts are generally appreciated based on the needs they provide and benefits to tourists. They are usually located away from crowded destinations, thus offering peace and isolation to tourists in natural surroundings. They have various facilities to offer to visiting tourists. Many countries of the world have invested much and have gone ahead of others in the development of resorts which have successfully attracted large volumes of tourists. Tourist resorts abound in the world at different places mostly enhanced by man-made improvements. In many cases, natural tourist resorts or attraction sites are developed to standards much more appreciated by visiting tourists. Sometimes, private individuals engage in large-scale tourist resort developmental projects, in partnership with the government at different levels, or vice versa. This coalition is referred to as private-public-partnership or public-private–partnership (PPP). According to Meine (2006) the issue of funding has given rise to the PPP arrangement. This provides various options for financing tourist resorts and their supporting structures and facilities. In any case, the focus is investment on tourist resorts considering the economic, social and aesthetic contributions of the development of tourist resorts.

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