Impact of Religious Tourism on Host Communities: The Case of Awhum Monastery
[1]
Odum Chigozie Jude, Department of Archaeology and Tourism University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
[2]
Obieluem Uchenna, Department of Archaeology and Tourism University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
[3]
Ezenagu Ngozi, Department of Tourism and Events Management Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti, Nigeria.
What are the benefits of religious tourism on host communities? What type of relationship exists between host communities and religious tourism sites like monasteries? Religious tourism has been reputed for its huge economic gains and development of rural communities across the globe. What is the Nigerian scenario like? There is dearth of literature on the impact of religious tourism activities on host communities, especially in southeastern Nigeria. Our Lady of Mount Calvary monastery is one of the religious tourism destinations whose impact has been eclectic on the host community some of which seem undocumented. Using ethnographic method, mainly in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, photographic-documentation, and direction observation of the monastery and its environs was mapped with a Global Positioning System; this is supplemented with documentary approach. The study revealed the following: firstly, the monastery prior to its closure to public visitation and economic activities, it was beneficial to the host community especially in the provision of scholarships, infrastructure, employment opportunities and industries. Secondly, there were cases of unwholesome practices and denial of access to some farm-routes to the indigenes by the monastery authority; the monastery authority claims ownership over the land they reside. Thirdly, there is a land dispute between the host community and the management of the monastery. Furthermore, the closure of the monastery caused a lot of economic loss on the host community. The monastery was closed temporarily based on perceived deviation from monastic life to full-apostolic life style. Conclusively, land dispute seems to be source of the sour-relationship between some members of the community and the monastery authority. We suggest revisiting of the land agreement by both parties, creating access to farms and encouragement of indigenous economic activities in Awhum community that is not dependent on the monastery.
Awhum, Community, Religious Tourism, Impact, Monastery
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