VISITOR ATRACTION MARKETING ATTRIBUTES AND TOURISTS’ BEHAVIOURAL INTENTIONS TOWARDS THE GARDEN CITY OF PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE NIGERIA
Abstract
The study examined the effect of Visitor Attraction (VA)marketing attributes (support services and activities) and tourists’ behavioural intentions in the tourism sector in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey research generated primary data from a sample of 100 tourists/visitors who patronised the VAs selected for the study using a well-structured questionnaire containing nine items, with five demographic items. To validate the four hypothesised relationships, inferential statistics were conducted with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The result of the inferential statistical analysis showed that the two VA marketing attributes individually had a direct positive significant effect on tourists'/customers behavioural intentions. The study concluded that support services constitute an important factor that determines customers’ behavioural intentions such as revisiting the VAs for touristic purposes. It is recommended that entrepreneurs managing VA should identify, evaluate and provide support services at their sites based on their target market needs. Academic and practitioners’ implications are provided.
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