Inclusive Tourism Development in the Post-Pandemic Era: Community Participation, Benefit Sharing and Institutional Barriers at Ikogosi Warm Springs, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Inclusive tourism development requires meaningful community participation, equitable benefit sharing, and transparent institutional arrangements. However, tourism destinations may generate economic opportunities without ensuring that host communities participate effectively in decision making or receive a fair share of tourism benefits. This study examined community participation, benefit sharing, and institutional barriers to inclusive tourism development at Ikogosi Warm Spring, Ekiti State, Nigeria, in the post-pandemic era. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, using data obtained from 100 respondents across four stakeholder groups: residents, tourism operators, government and tourism officials, and community leaders and NGO representatives. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and open-ended questions and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed a low perceived level of community engagement in tourism planning and decision-making, with an overall mean score of 2.36. Perceptions of fair benefit sharing were also low, with a mean score of 2.09, although respondents acknowledged tourism-related employment opportunities and benefits to local businesses, with mean scores of 3.43 and 3.69, respectively. Institutional challenges included power imbalances (mean = 3.95), external stakeholder dominance in decision-making (mean = 3.90), and inadequate transparency in benefit sharing (mean = 3.77). Respondents also reported that post-pandemic recovery efforts insufficiently addressed local needs, while the perceived inclusiveness of tourism after the pandemic received a mean score of 1.99. The qualitative findings further highlighted exclusion from decision-making, unequal revenue distribution, and limited accountability. The study concludes that the inclusive tourism potential of Ikogosi Warm Spring remains constrained by weak community representation and inadequate benefit-sharing arrangements. It recommends stronger community representation in tourism governance, transparent revenue sharing, local enterprise support, and participatory recovery planning. The findings underscore the importance of institutional accountability and community empowerment in promoting more equitable and sustainable tourism development.

Inclusive tourism, community participation, benefit sharing, tourism governance, institutional barriers

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