Traditional Festival and Cultural Heritage: a Sine Qua Non to the Promotion of Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

The study examined traditional festival and cultural heritage: A sine qua non to the promotion of tourism and hospitality industry in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Four (4) objectives were raised and literature of other researchers were reviewed. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and the instrument for data collection was a questionnaire; it was built around the research question by the researcher and validated by the researcher’s supervisor. The questionnaire was structured according to the research questions and distributed to sample population of 100 respondents. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics by means of frequency count, percentage, Mean and standard Deviation. The findings of the study revealed that i. Traditional festivals have significant impact in stimulating local tourism and hospitality industries by attracting a good number of tourists to the local area and it also positively influences visitors' perception of the local culture and heritage. Cultural heritage play a tremendous role in promoting tourism and hospitality attraction by attracting tourists to the region and shaping Ado-Ekiti’s identity as a tourist destination. Lack of adequate funding and resources, limited marketing and promotional efforts and poor infrastructure and transportation options are some challenges hindering the effective promotion of traditional festivals as tourism attractions. It was however recommended that to effectively promote traditional festivals as tourism attractions, there is a need for a robust marketing strategy that includes digital platforms, social media, and international tourism networks. For traditional festivals to have a greater impact on tourism, the local infrastructure, including roads, transportation, and facilities, must be improved.