ABSTRACT

The work talked about the Assessment of Wonderland Amusement Park in Abuja as a Flagship Tourist Attraction. An assessment of the park, highlighting its importance in the recreation industry, could lead to the positioning of Abuja among cities of the world fiercely visited due to the presence of this flagship attraction. The objectives of the research were to: identify the various amusement parks in Abuja, ascertain the level of patronage by both local and foreign visitors, verify the management principles used in the destination, and suggest management principles that would assume sustainability of the amusement park in the study area. Data for this research was generated using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Simple descriptive technique comprising of mean, standard deviation, and simple frequencies and Likert scale were used to analyze the data. The findings show that development of amusement parks should be carried out in areas closer to the residents, Spacing (Quality of landscape), accessibility, entertainment variety, were seen as factors that were liked least about the parks, while things like safety and security, quality of rides are important, the location of the park, accessibility to the park and the number of thrill rides were seen as attributes that should be improved. Factors like location and attachment, marketing and branding, inept pricing and hidden cost and ignorance of the benefits of recreation and tourism by the residents of Abuja Municipal Area Council led to low patronage of the park, also marketing strategies like the use of fliers, word-of-mouth, brochures etc. were used to increase awareness as well as patronage. Amusement parks help in the attraction of visitors from different countries and Wonderland amusement park is not an exception.

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITTLE PAGE ……………………………………………………..........................…….i

APPROVAL…………………………………………………………………..….………...ii

CERTIFICATION ………………………………………………………………………...iii

DEDICATION ……………………………………………………………......................iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………….………v

LIST OF PLATES …………………………………………………………………….…..ix

LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………….………..x

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….……xi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study ……………………………………………………………...1

1.2 Statement of the problem ………………………………………………………….….4

1.3 Objectives of the study ……………………………………………………………….6

1.4 Research questions …………………………………………………………………...6

1.5 Significance of the study ………………………………………………………….….6

1.6 Scope of the study ……………………………………………………………...…….7

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Conceptual framework ……………………………………………………..…………8

2.1.1 Tourism ………………………………………………………….……….…………8

2.1.2. Impacts of tourism ………………………………………………….……….…….10

2.1.3. Attractions ………………………………………………………….……………..12

2.1.4. Amusement parks …………………………………………………….…………...13

2.1.5. Development of amusement parks …………………………………..…….……...14

2.1.6. Tourism stakeholders ……………………………………………………………..15

2.1.7. Flagship attractions ……………………………………………………………….16

2.1.8. Impacts of amusement parks in Abuja …………………………………..…….…17

2.1.9 Importance of amusement parks on tourism ……………………………..…….…19

2.2 Theoretical Framework: Theories and Models …………………………………..…19

2.3 Theoretical orientation ……………………………………………………….….….26

2.4 Review of empirical study …………………………………………………….…...28

2.5 Summary of literature review ………………………………………………….…..32

CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Research Design …………………………………………………………………...33

3.2 The Area of Study …………………………………………………………………33

3.3 Population for the Study ………………………………………………………....35

3.4 Sample/Sampling Techniques …………………………………………………...35

3.5 Instrument for Data Collection …………………………………………………..36

3.6 Validity of the Instruments ……………………………………………………....36

3.7 Data Collection Techniques …………………………………………………..….37

3.8 Data Analysis Technique ………………………………………………………...37

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Data presentation …………………………………………………………….…...38

4.2 Major findings …………………………………………………………………....54

4.3 Discussion of Findings ……………………………………………………….…..55

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary …………………………………………………………………….…...59

5.1.1 Restatement of the Research Problem ………………………………….………60

5.2 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….….61

5.3 Recommendations ………………………………………………………………..62

REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………64-67

APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………..74-77

LIST OF PLATES

Plate 1. Fulani hut ……………………………………………………………………….39

Plate 2. Bamba Shop …………………………………………………………………….40 

Plate 3. The fun arcade …………………………………………………………………..41

Plate 4. The Arcade restaurant …………………………………………………………..42

Plate 5. The various rides in the amusement park ……………………………………….

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1.1: Identifies parks in the study area ………………………………………………....38

Table 4.1.2 Perception of the attractiveness of the park by the respondents ………………..…43

Table 4.1.3: Means of accessibility to the park ………………………………………………..44

Table 4.1.4 Part of the city the respondents visited from ………………………………….…..44

Table 4.1.5 General cost of visiting the amusement park in terms of both gate fee and ride 

tariff. …………………………………………………………………………………….…..…45 

Table 4.1.6 Attributes that are liked the most and liked least about the Wonderland 

Amusement park. ……………………………………………………………………………....46

Table 4.1.7 Attributes or characteristics of importance for visiting the park by respondents .…48

Table 4.1.8 Management principle used in the park ………………………………………….…49

Table 4.1.9: Management principles that will ensure sustainability ………………………….…51

Table 4.1.10: Reasons for low patronage to the wonderland amusement parks ………………..52