ABSTRACT

The study evaluate the role of entertainment on the performance of tourism centres in Port Harcourt. The specific objectives of the study include to; find out the extent tourism entertainment has influenced tourism centres, identify the contribution of entertainment on performance of tourism centres, ascertain the forms of entertainment that facilitate performance, identify the major challenges of entertainment as a facilitator to performance in tourism centres in the study area. The researcher adopted primary data in getting the required information through the use of close ended questionnaire. The population of the study comprises 482 management, staff and tourists of selected tourism centres in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The sample size of the study has 196 of management and staff, and infinite population of tourists, after adopting Taro Yamane’s formula for management and staff and proportion method for tourists. In analysis the data, simple descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentage and mean were used. The findings revealed that (i)boost in sales, increase customers or tourists experience,  increase customers or tourists visit, improve tourism centres profile, development of event/administrative skill are the extent tourism entertainment has influence tourism centres in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. (ii) promote growth of tourism centres, extends tourists length of stay, generate more income to tourism centres, increase the influx of tourists to tourism centres, job creation are the contributions of entertainment on the performance of tourism centres in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. (iii) Movies/TV Shows, video games, sporting and recreational activities, comedy clubs, concerts/magic shows are forms of entertainment that facilitate performance in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. (iv) Infrastructure issues, taxation, unavailability of facilities required for entertainment, poor management of entertaining facilities, lack of government commitment are the major challenges of entertainment as a facilitator to performance in tourism centres in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The study concluded that entertainment is regarded as an important motivator while making holiday decision, organizations not only offer entertainment opportunities to tourists but also constitute business platforms for many related industries as well as local communities. Thus entertainment has a major role to play in the performance of tourism centres in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The study recommends that tourism centres should diffuse into different entertainment programs in other to include shows which are synonymous to the taste of tourists from other regions, Government should encourage entertainment in tourism centres through empowerment programs, the right facilities necessary for entertainment should be provided in tourism centres, reduction of taxes by the government to enable tourism centres provide the right forms of entertainment as to facilitate performance. The study also recommends that future research carried out in this field should not be limited to Port Harcourt, Rivers State alone but should include other areas of study. Financial constraint, inadequate timing and attitude of respondents were listed as limitations of this study.