INTEGRATION OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN TECHNIQUES IN RESORT HOTEL SHIRORO, NIGER STATE

ABSTRACT

Tourism involves a person travelling to a destination for leisure outside their usual or immediate environment for a period of time but not more than a year. Tourism has been established as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world’s economy at large and an effective way to revitalise any economy. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), it is estimated that by 2020 there will be 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, as it represents 30% of the world’s exports of services. Niger state is blessed with abundance of natural features including land forms that could be explored and used to promote the tourism sector in the state and the country. Environmentally, tourism and its interrelated products such as hotels and recreational facilities can have a hostile effect on the environment, but when suitably developed and managed, they can serve as mechanisms for protecting the natural environment. This is conceivable when the designers utilize environmentally safe innovations in the development of such facilities. The aim of the research is to integrate landscape design techniques in resort hotels to enhance tourism potentials. The measures that could be used include identifying different landscape techniques like sustainable site design, water management, utilizing site grading where necessary and planting for aesthetics. The research instrument adopted was through observation schedule and oral interview. In conclusion, integrating landscape design techniques in resort hotels will aid in harmonizing the natural landscape and the built environment, which in turn improves the overall well-being of those that seek reprieve from their normal busy lives and decide to reside in these environments.

.CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Tourism involves a person travelling to a destination for leisure outside their usual or immediate environment for a period of time but not more than a year. Tourism has been established as one of the sectors with fastest growth in the world’s economy at large. (Newsome et al., 2002; Raymond, 2001; Chockalingam and Ganesh, 2010; Basu, 2003, Ozgen, 2003; Jennie, 2012). 

Tourism is said to be an effective way to revitalise any economy. Niger  State, is one of the 36 known States in Nigeria with Minna as its capital is  blessed  with  abundance  of  natural  features  that  can  be  explored and used to promote the tourism sector in the country. 

In times past, many tourist’ centres were left underdeveloped some places that possessed high tourism potentials were often times neglected but recently, the awakening of the tourism sector has brought a light to some of these places making them a focus point of most economy. It is quite understandable since lots of  the benefits that come with tourism and recreation is widely acknowledged of which is the case especially when the effects on stress and the enhancing impact on well being and productivity are considered (Ayeni et al., 2009).

Nowadays society thrives to build up places that could be used for tourism and recreation and some of them are artificially generated others are naturally generated and other times they turn out to be the combination of both which are commonly referred to as landscapes. Landscaping adds to the overall aesthetics of the environment and it is generally used to engineer and improve tourism in many countries across the globe.

In architecture landscaping involves designing the public space that surrounds a building structure, in a way that it creates a harmony between the indoor space and the outdoor space. Techniques in landscape is defined as the processes taken in order to improve the form of the landscape within the natural envir0nment, the techniques include; Management of St0rm water, grading of site, Sustainable development of landscape, circulation of vehicle, landscapes for roofing and decking, planting of Plants, Pedestrian circulation, insulati0n of sound. Some Structures are considered when planning for efficient landscaping they include screen walls and Fences, Retaining walls, site furniture and fountains.

Landscape architecture is defined as the art and the science 0f 0rganizing and making the outdoor spaces enriched by placing structures and plants in a useful and agreeable relationship with the natural environment. It als0 inv0lves the functional and qualitative planning and spacing of plants and other features in the garden (Olubode and Olosunde, 2013).

Landscape design is so much more than a treatment or an afterthought like some people see it to be landscape design is not a process that is used to cover up for harsh edges or layouts that appear to be awkward in architecture or in the engineering field. Landscape design is a deliberate process that beautifies or uplift some ones visual perception of a space within an environment this could be done by providing an attractive setting that is very welcoming. 

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

Most developing countries are attributed to having mono-cultural economic characteristics, where we have 0ne or two comm0dities that d0minate their exports thereby providing the bulk 0f the economy’s f0reign trade. Having such attributes one begins to wonder why their growth rate is slower in terms of tourism when compared to other nations of the world. A good clarity on this brings up the need for economic diversification in the economy.  Nigeria is considered as a c0untry seeking to diversify its economy from the production of crude oil and focus on tourism as a possible alternative according to Ajao (2012) , from the research if Nigeria gets it right in the tourism sector, then it is going to be a great employer of labour.

1.3  Aim and Objectives

1.3.1  Aim

The aim of the research is to integrate the different techniques in landscape design in resort hotel Shiroro, Niger State in order to enhance the State’s potentials in tourism.

1.3.2  Objectives

The objectives of the research include;

i. To recognise the different landscaping techniques.

ii. To carry out a study on the required technique in landscape design that can boost tourism in Shiroro, Niger State.

iii. To propose the design of a Resort Hotel integrating the different landscaping techniques

1.4  Research Questions

i.  What are the different landscape techniques that is required to improve the landscape form?

 ii. What landscape techniques can be adopted to boost tourism in Shiroro?

1.5 Justification

Niger State is blessed with a unique tourism potential in many of its local government areas. Giving its unique natural features such as beautiful waterfalls, massive water bodies ranging from natural lakes, rivers, and streams, rocks and awesome vegetative cover and in the bid to harness its tourism potentials, resort hotels which are commonly a place where tourists or people lo0king f0r some leisure fr0m their busy work places reside to spend sometimes from their busy environment or lifestyle. 

1.6 Scope and Limitation

1.6.1  Scope

The scope covers provision 0f functional facilities for the effective management of a resort hotel, the evaluation c0vers methods for the design of landscape that sustainable .The limitations observed in the course of this study was during occasional visits to some resort hotels for data collection, some of them had so much restriction of movements considering the level of insurgency in most part of the nation at the time of this research.

1.7  Contributions to Knowledge

Landscaping in resort hotels would help to understanding the different ways of enhancing the visual appeal of the environment and how to regulate extreme temperatures through the process of landscaping in design. The research is focused on revealing the importance of environmental conditions which has huge impact on the quality of the human health.

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On completion of this research there will be an understanding of the following;

i. Landscape design application

ii. Improving peoples wellbeing through landscaping

iii. Integrating building structure into the environment to protect the ecological systems

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