Description
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. It plays an important part in nation?s economy by producing the opportunities for employment, continuously to the balance of payment and helping in economic growth. Tourism is a multidimensional, multifaceted activity which touches many lives and many business activities.
The application of the use of computer in almost all facet of human endeavor cannot be over stressed. Since the introduction of micro computer, the world of office automation has changed and will continue to be changing with modernization made to the present ones. We are trying to see the impact the computer will make to tourism in Imo State.
Tourism is a manifestation of movement from one place to another. Transportation makes the existence of tourism; transportation produces the possibility for most of these movements in order words transport is an integral part of tourism and conveyor of tourists to different tourist destinations and the activities. Logically, the more accessible tourist resources are the more it is able to attract tourists. There are major models of transportation associated with international tourist movement such as the air transports, train (railways), and automobile.
In a simple term, tourism can be defined as traveling for pleasure, recreation or relaxation. Because of the momental impact of tourism on the global economy. The contemporary definition of tourism higher premium on the transfer of financial resources from the tourists abode to his destination than the purpose of the travel. A tourist therefore can engage in any activity like sports, cultural appreciation, relaxation, religious rejuvenation, business and participation in a conference, to mention but a few. When a tourist leaves his home town for another location in the same country he is classified as a domestic tourist. If he crosses the frontiers of his country, he becomes an international tourist.
The important of this definition of tourism is that the thousands of Imo state citizens residing in various parts of Nigeria who troop home with their annual saving during Christmas, and return to their station with near ? empty wallets in less one week are domestic tourist.
For a country to be counted as a successful tourist destinations it has to record a seasonable blend between domestic and international tourism. Countries as large as Nigeria usually have more domestic than international tourist.
According to Kraal (1999:1B) travel and tourism is now the biggest single industry , employing more than 12million people and producing nearly 100m per year in taxes. It counts for between 25 and 30 percent of world trades in services, travel opportunities can enhance the quality of the human experience in spiritual and national particulars Kriffendorf (1987:20)
? Travel is recuperation and regulation
? Travel is compensation and social integration
? Travel is escape
? Travel is communication
? Travel is broadness the mind
? Travel is freedom and self determination
? Travel is happiness
Nigeria is endowed with inverse natural resources relative to the nations in Africa and even in a global level. A stock of Nigerians vast tourism resources includes peculiar geomorphologic features, historical movement rachis, wild life and game reserves have aptly described Nigeria as a land of contrast.
Imo state has been described as a state richly endowed with natural resources of enormous tourism potential which if fully exploited and well managed are capable of becoming the states major alternative source. A stock of imo states tourism resources include the natural lakes that abound across the state as exemplified by Oguta Lake, the range of hills around Okigwe and environments that can encourage the mind building exercise of mountaineering particularly among the youths. The network of rivers and streams with their sand beaches that are common features in Obowo district, exciting landmarks at owerri, the botanical garden and 300 at Nekede near Owerri, and other numerous sites of tourist attraction.
Tourism industry in Imo state also include hotels and holiday resort in both stock and quality. Recreational facilities for sports and recreation and amusements, monument, historic relics, artifacts and natural sceneries are located in cities and villages across the state. A number of tradition festivals are organized in Imo state yearly. Some of which are of international dimension, namely the canoe regatta in reverine areas traditional wrestling contests which is fast regaining popularity. The Ozuruimo cultural festival, the Mmanwu festival in Igboland, Iri ji festival and a host of others.
These entire enormous tourism heritage can be packaged as an item of international trade through effective marketing strategies and Imo state can launch herself into the fire front of both as a tour destination and helping state to generate foreign exchange. It is basically the aim of this study to examine the Oguta lake Holiday Resort as a tourist center, identifying the problems it encounters and exploring some of the possible benefits that may accrue to state if properly managed.
1.1. OVERVIEW / BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Oguta lake holiday resort was conceived in 1973 by the East central State Government when it discovered that the lakes with its surrounding sceneries are favorable for the development of tourism. The Oguta lake Holiday Resort is situated in Imo State.
On 2nd September, 1977, the motel was brought under the management of Imo Hotels Owerri. It consists of some bungalows, each bungalow contains fifteen chalets, that needs to be well managed. There as gift course within the immediate vicinity of the hotel. It was eighty staff on a role fifteen senior staff, twenty intermediate staff and forty ? five junior staff. The motel also has thirty one (31) double suites which are expensive furnished and suits. It could be easily converted into single suits. It also engage in outdoor catering and laundering services that needs to be well managed by the management and offers recreational facilities such as Lawn tennis and gift course. Varieties of drinks and beverages are also available.
Other facilities of Oguta lake Holiday Resort include;-
? Children play ground
? Speed boats for water skiing or for leisure trip around the lake
? Picnic facilities
? Conference room, capable of accommodating about 250 people
? Tennis hand courts
? Gift clubs house
Also one of the famous Ojukwu Bunkers is housed in the oguta lake Golf course premises.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The major problem is the slow response, time in handling enquires and making bookings, both customers and traveling agents complain of the difficulty telephone time continuously engaged. This often causes customer to book their tour through other inefficiency of the current system. There is a tendency for aircrafts seats and hotel accommodation to be either over booked or not booked at all . a system is required to overcome those problems but attempting to design a system to eliminate such weakness. It is necessary to analyze the system using structural methodology.
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Operations carried out in tourism board are numerous. I am therefore restricting myself in his project to those that concern the tourism specially am interested in designing a computer system that will facilitate information and rendering services in Imo State tourism board. This design will be of a greater use both in the projection service and documentation.
1.4 OBJECTIVES
Due to delay characterized by the manual system in discharging the tourism board in Imo State.
We are trying to see how the use of computer can help in these articles and easily the delay hitherto encountered in the old manual system.
1.5 Limitation Of The Study
In the cause of accomplishing these tasks, lots of hindrances and experiences where entertained or encountered. It makes it intricate to have the background knowledge as a result limited source of information collected.
Getting access to materials for the work as a difficult problem : most books were not on the library an when you found any there it will either not be a current edition or some part of it must have been tour off and taken away by people.
Again finding also posed its own constraints in the courses of this research. Some areas which needed absolute coverage that will be helpful in data collection were not reached de to the lack of funds.
Above all, the researcher still find with limits of his capability to ensure that the project was presented. Despite all these handicaps, however adequate data was collected so as to ensure objective and meaningful deductions and organizations.
1.6 Significance Of The Study
The essence of undertaking any research work is to solve an educational problem, bearing this in mind; the study is geared towards the following.
1 This research is expected to provide useful output for a more effective operations of the tourism destinations in Imo state as a whole
2 To the managers of tourist center, this study provides useful information for strategic and profitable management of tourism centers
3 To the government, the study appraises various government guidelines and offer some suggestions for more effective efficient operations of the resort centers.
4 To the general public, the research provides an awareness of the problem and prospects of the tourist destinations in Imo State in such a way that it will broaden the knowledge and understanding of the public at large.
5 The research will add to the existing literature of the subject and raise some issues that may lead to future work on the subject.
1.7 Definitions of Terms
1 Computer: an electronic device, which on receipts of information appropriate input, is capable of processing the inputs according to a set of previously supplied instruction and making the result (output) available if designed.
2 Program: series of instructions given to the computer
3 Address: bills to address, where we send customers document
4 File: a collection of related records
5 Booking references: old booking and when booking new one with reference
6 Tourist: this is a person or an individual who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure or business.
7 Tourism industries: this refers to those industries that also at are concerned with the provision of comprehensive range of recreation facilities and entertainment where people can enjoy themselves.
8 Resort: a place to which people go frequently or habitually for rest
9 Resort center: a site designed to attract tourists especially for the purpose of exploiting them
10 Transportation: is a means of convening people or something from one place to another. It also makes the existence of tourism.
11 Domestic tourist: this is a person or an individual who leaves his home for another location in same country
12 International tourist: this is regarded as a person or an individual who leaves his country to another country
13 Business telephone number: telephone number in the business place.
14 Customer: a tourism business system customer