DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-087-0-0082

CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN NIGERIA: PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE, PROBLEMS, AND POLICY DIRECTION

Dastan Bamwesigye^1,2, Henry Okeokpa Chima³, Jitka Fialova¹, Evans Yeboah⁴

¹ Department of Landscape Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia

² Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia

³ Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia

⁴ Faculty of Business and Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czechia

The study explored sustainable tourism for conserving cultural heritage in Nigeria, thereby preserving various cultural geographies, historical sites, and rich traditions and customs. We deliberated on sustainable tourism as a realistic pathway to protecting immaterial cultural assets while nurturing socio-economic progress. The study gathered and utilized primary data with a well-structured questionnaire survey of 120 visitors of the tourist center Osun-Oshogbo Sacred Nigeria, which belongs to local communities. The study found that about 90% of stakeholders agreed that sustainable tourism can effectively preserve cultural heritage sites. Moreover, 75% of the respondents ranked Nigeria's cultural heritage conservation efforts as very essential, although showing very low familiarity (36%) and visitation to cultural heritage sites. However, the environmental problems and challenges threatening sustainable tourism in Nigeria were acknowledged as urban encroachment and pollution (26.67%), scarcity of funding and or coordination amongst the diverse government and non–government agencies (37.5%), and Insecurity (36.7%), among others. Furthermore, the survey disclosed that more than 60% of participants identified weak policy enforcement, underfunding, and over-commercialization as major challenges. The research confirmed that both community engagement and policy adjustments are necessary for enhanced and sustainable conservation of Osun-Oshogbo, and Nigeria in general. 

Klíčová slova: Community-Based Tourism, Cultural Heritage Conservation, Heritage Preservation, Policy and Governance, Stakeholder Participation, Sustainable Tourism

stránky: 82-86, Publikováno: 2026, online: 2026