Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 20 Hospitality Products as a Pull Factor of Tourism Patronage in Selected Ecotourism Destinations in South West Nigeria Faith A. Boluwaji Department of Tourism Studies, Redeemer's University, P.M.B. 230, Ede Osun State, Nigeria *boluwajif@run.edu.ng Bukola O. Adetola Department of Ecotourism and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo State, Nigeria boadetola@futa.edu.ng Sunday O. Oladeji Department of Ecotourism and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo State, Nigeria sooladeji@futa.edu.ng Abstract Demand for tourism is increasing. It is an activity in a physical space called a destination. It requires providing hospitality services as an activity outside the tourists' or visitors' residences. This research studied four main hospitality products needed in a destination. The products are food, drinks, accommodation and recreational facilities as motivating factors in a destination. The research adopted a quantitative method by administering a structured questionnaire to tourists. The study sampled six destinations in southwest Nigeria. The total number of questionnaires administered was 384 copies. Descriptive data were analysed using frequency, simple percentage, five-point Likert scale, mean values and standard deviation. The inferential statistics were analysed using Chi- Square. The study concluded that hospitality products are an excellent motivating factor in tourists' choice of destination. The researchers recommend that the Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in charge of the studied destination must ensure adequate provision of hospitality products. Keywords: Tourism, Motivation, Hospitality, Products, Pull Factors, DMOs DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/65-03 Publication date:August 31st 2023 Introduction Tourism involves the movement of people from their residences to other places for leisure. There are many definitions in the body of literature on tourism. The most prominent one was defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2008) as a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents), and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure. This activity takes place in a geographical location referred to as a destination. A destination is a physical area where a tourist can spend the night, with or without administrative or analytical borders (UNWTO, 2019). A destination includes a range of stakeholders and can network to create more prominent destinations. Moreover, it has intangibles like its identity and image, which might affect how competitive the market is for it. (UNWTO, 2019). Since tourism activities involve participants moving away from their usual residence, it is pertinent that they will require the provision of basic needs, which are food, beverages and accommodation (where possible). The provision of these services is called hospitality services. Hospitality refers to a particular type of hospitality that occurs when hosts welcome guests into their homes. It is the business of making visitors feel comfortable, at ease, and enjoy themselves (Discover Hospitality, 2015). As an economic activity, the hospitality sector encompasses rendering services and planning paid short- or long-term stays in hotels, motels, campgrounds, and other lodging establishments. In general, hospitality refers to kindly welcoming and attending to the fundamental requirements of clients or strangers, particularly concerning food, drink, and lodging. The hospitality industry refers to the businesses or organisations that offer food, drink, accommodation or all three to customers who are away from home. Statement of Problem The reasons why people travel have been a crucial subject of study. It is advantageous for tourism planning and marketing to comprehend why people travel and what influences their behavioural intention to visit a location. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 21 Travel motivation refers to an individual's inner aspirations and characteristics of a destination that lead them to plan a trip to that location. Tourism activities are incomplete without hospitality products and services. Hospitality as a service industry is saddled with providing customers with food, beverages, accommodation and acceptable services. Food can be more than nourishment but also an experience that can be a pull factor. Objectives of the Study The study aimed to achieve the following objectives: i. to ascertain if food and drink would affect visitors' travel to a particular location ii. to investigate if a destination's lodging options serve as a motivating element iii. to establish the tourists' preferred leisure options in the destination, they are going Research Questions i. Can food and beverages be a motivation to travel? ii. Is accommodation facility a motivation element in visiting tourist destinations? iii. Can recreational facilities be a motive to travel? Research Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were tested in the research: i. Quality food availability will not have a significant influence on tourist motivating factors. ii. Accommodation facilities will have no significant influence on tourists' motivation. iii. Tourists will not be significantly motivated toward tourist destinations by recreational facilities. Literature Review Hospitality Products in Tourist Destinations As defined earlier, hospitality is concerned with taking complete care of guests or travellers. The products of this include accommodation, food, beverage, accommodation, and other ancillary services. For this research, ancillary services were studied as recreational facilities, such as swimming pools available at the destinations. Hospitality products are consumed by tourists and locals as well. Generally, hospitality products at the destinations are consumed at the same time it is produced and often combined with intangible values but of great importance for a purchaser. Kotler (2003) posited that hospitality products must fulfil customers' needs on several levels. The levels are categorised as follows: (a) The core product refers basically to the benefits provided by the hotel to the consumer and not merely its features, e.g. room comfort and convenient location. (b) Facilitating products are those services or goods that must be present for the guests to use the core product, e.g. a hotel porter in a luxury hotel. (c) Supporting products are extra products offered to add value to the core product and help to position it through differentiation from the competitors, e.g. full-service health spa. (d) The augmented product includes atmosphere, customers' interaction with the service organisation and each other, e.g., lobby socialising. The augmented product is an essential concept because it is on this level where the main differences arise between the various hospitality concepts, e.g. atmosphere created by a focus on lightning, a marriage of textures and colours to please the senses. Conceptual Framework Through the study of the research topic, the researchers conceptualised a framework for the research, which is illustrated in Figure 1 below: Source: Researchers' Concept 2021. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 22 Hospitality Products as a Pull Factor in Visiting Tourist Destinations. An essential topic in tourism and hospitality for a long time now, motivation has been thoroughly investigated in both conceptual and empirical investigations (Zhang & Peng, 2014; Wu & Pearce, 2017; Albayrak & Caber, 2018; Han & Hyun, 2018; Jia, 2020; Song & Lee, 2020). There are many tourist locations worldwide, each providing a range of goods and services to draw tourists. This allows travellers to select a location that appeals to their interests and inspires them to visit. (Jonsson & Devonish, 2008). Motivation is the need that pushes someone to take particular actions to fulfil an urge. People are motivated to travel for a variety of causes and rewards. Although psychological factors determine satisfying wants, general human behaviour can work as a motivator (Correia et al., 2007). Food and travel are intimately associated (Mason & Paggiaro, 2012) and can affect the destinations chosen by travellers (Tikkanen, 2007). According to the UNWTO World Report on Food Tourism, several variables influence tourists' decisions to embark on what is popularly referred to as food tourism, culinary tourism, or gastronomy tourism. (Ellis, et al., 2018, Horng, & Tsai, 2011) Since people are motivated, tourists have a variety of motives to travel (Ngwira et al., 2018). Push and pull forces are the foundation for decisions visitors make when selecting a location (Crompton, 1979). While choosing a place for a trip, a person is initially motivated by internal wants (push factors) and emotional elements (Battour, 2012). Afterwards, they are swayed by external stimuli (pull factors). A traveller will encounter a range of circumstances and motivations while travelling, including food-related motivated behaviour (Kim, Eves & Scarles, 2013, Kim & Eves, 2012, Kivela & Crotts, 2009) Food plays an increasingly significant role in marketing specific tourist destinations along with the growth of culinary tourism, especially those associated with the likelihood that visitors will travel to these locations for culinary tourism (Horng, 2012). The visitor's travel experience is linked to food and other associated items and activities, known as gastronomy tourism. Gastronomy tourism may include additional related activities, including visiting regional producers, participating in food festivals, and enrolling in cooking schools in addition to authentic, traditional, or cutting-edge culinary experiences. (UNWTO, 2019). Furthermore, a subcategory of gastronomic tourism called eno-tourism (wine tourism) describes travel to vineyards and wineries and tasting, eating, and purchasing wine, frequently at or close to the source. (UNWTO, 2019). According to Maslow (1943, 1954), specific wants are more important than others, and individuals are driven to fulfil them. Physical survival is our fundamental need and will always guide our conduct initially. After that level has been reached, the subsequent level up, and so on, drives us. Food, beverages and shelter are classified as the basic needs of man. Every tourist site must provide for two essential demands: safety and physiological needs. The physiological demands of tourists are related to food and lodging. Recreation is something that people do in their spare time as opposed to other activities to which they are "highly committed," such as optional shopping, working overtime, taking on a second job, maintaining their homes and cars, continuing their education, doing their homework, caring for their children, performing their religious duties, and participating in politics. Although recreation is also regarded as a social institution organised socially for social goals, any recreational activity is thought to achieve the experience and enjoyment of leisure (Brooker & Joppe, 2013). In general, recreation may be categorised as leisure activities that individuals choose to engage in on their initiative without external pressure. Recreational pursuits linked to advantageous values are a deliberate way for them to spend their free time (Sidi & Radzi, 2017). Many studies on motivation have revealed that the existence of the travel business is due to tourist motivation (Aşan & Emeksiz, 2018; Nik Hashim, Velayuthan, Yusoff, Awang, & Muhammad Safri, 2019; Mohamad et al., 2020). When analysing what draws visitors to a specific location, this may depend on various elements, including the friendliness of the locals, the accessibility of wholesome, sanitary cuisine, the associated expenses, and the sorts of accommodations and other amenities offered. As a result, the recreational areas' attractions become the determining element when visitors are driven to pick their destination (Crompton, 1992; Hashim, Awang, Yusoff, Safri, Fatt, Velayuthan, Hashim, & Novianti, 2020; Anuar et al., 2020). Methodology Study Area Southwestern Nigeria, comprising the states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti, is the study region for this investigation. It is often referred to as the southwest region of Nigeria. Figure 2 shows this. The region has a total land area of 77,818 km2 and is between longitude 20 31 and 60 001 East and latitude 60 21 and 80 371 N. In the east, Edo and Delta states; in the north, Kwara and Kogi states; in the west, the Republic of Benin; and in the south, the Gulf of Guinea encircle this research region. According to the National Population Commission (2007), this zone was home to 27, 511, 892 people, or twenty-seven million five hundred and eleven thousand and eight hundred and ninety-two people. There were thirteen million, four hundred and sixty-two thousand, two hundred and ninety-eight (13, 462, 298) females and fourteen million, forty-nine thousand, five hundred and ninety-four (14, 049, 594) males in the population. The rainy season (April to October) and the dry season are Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 23 two different seasons (November-March). The zone's average temperature is between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius (0 C), and its high humidity level is 77%. As a result, farming and raising animals are carried out in the region with few issues. Agriculture is the people's main line of work. Other jobs include carpentry, driving, and trade. English is the official language, although Yoruba, which includes many dialects, is the primary informal language used for communication in this area. Figure 2: Map of Nigeria showing the Location of the Study Area in the South West States. Method of Data Collection The questionnaire was the primary research instrument used to collect data for the study. The self-constructed questionnaire was based on information derived from the literature. Section A consisted of respondents' demographic variables, which are sex, age, marital status, educational background, religion, occupation, monthly income and nationality, and section B consisted of hospitality products that motivate tourists. This section contains items on hospitality products that motivate tourists, like food, drinks, accommodation and recreational facilities. The items were measured on a 5-point Likert scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree, mean value and standard deviation. This section was adapted from level one needs of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Mc Leod, 2018). The questionnaire was structured and administered to the tourists as an individual and interviewer- administered. A total of three hundred and eighty-four (384) questionnaire was administered to the tourists and retrieved. The data collection spanned five months. The researchers leveraged public holidays during the Easter celebration, Workers' Day, Id-el-Fitri celebration, Democracy Day, Id-el-Kabir celebration and the weekends. These periods experienced a good influx of tourists at the destinations. Data Analysis Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse the data generated in the study. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, simple percentages, and mean values were used to analyse the demographic information, and chi-square was used for the hypotheses. Results and Discussions The demographic variables of the respondents were analysed on percentages, as shown in Table 2 below. The gender of the total respondents revealed 51.8% as males and 48.2% as females. Regarding the age categories of the respondents, the results derived showed that 1.6% of the sampled population were below 18 years of age, Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 24 60.9% fell between the age brackets of 18-29 years, ages 30-39 years, 21.2%, respondents between ages 40-49 were 13.6%, 50-59 years of age were 2.0% of the respondents and 0.8% of the respondents were 60 years of age and above. On the marital status, the single had the highest percentage of 64.3%, followed by the married, which had 32.8%; widowed had 1.6%; and divorced had the lowest score of 1.3%. Considering the academic qualification of the respondents, 2.6% of the respondents had primary education, 17.7% attained secondary school education, 76.6% were able to obtain tertiary education, and 3.1% of the respondents had no formal education. The religious affiliation of the sampled respondents indicated 68.8% as Christianity, 29.4% as Islam, 1.0% as traditional worshippers, and 0.8% as other forms of religion. Still, on the demographic variables of the respondents, their occupations were sampled and analysed. 14.1% of the respondents were business executives, 17.2% were civil servants, 37.3% were private employees, and medical practitioners among respondents were 3.6%, students 20.8%, 0.5% were unemployed, and 6.5% were engaged in other forms of occupation. The income of the respondents was sampled based on monthly income. 7.3% of the respondents had no monthly income, and 16.1% had an income below #30,000.00 monthly. The income bracket of #30,000.00 – #99,0000.00 were 27.3%, and 24.5% of the respondents were between the income level of #100,000.00 – 149,000.00. The respondents with income category #150,000.00 – #199,000.00 were 7.9%, and 16.9% earned monthly between #199,000.00 and above. The respondents' nationality revealed that the majority are Nigerians, with 96.9% and 3.1% as foreigners. Table 1: Analysis of Demographic Variables of the Respondents. Variable Agodi Gardens (%) Olumirin Waterfalls (%) Lekki Conservation Centre (%) Idanre Hills (%) Ikogosi Warm Spring (%) Olumo Rock (%) Total (%) Sex Male 50.7 69.2 50.0 66.7 41.8 51.5 51.8 Female 49.3 30.8 50.0 33.3 58.2 48.5 48.2 Age Below 18 2.2 - 4.1 - - - 1.6 18-29 years 67.2 76.9 48.6 52.4 60.0 65.2 60.9 30-39 years 23.1 23.1 23.0 21.4 16.4 18.2 21.1 40-49 years 7.5 - 21.6 23.8 16.4 10.6 13.6 50-59 years - - 2.7 2.4 3.6 4.5 2.0 60 years and above - - - - 3.6 1.5 0.8 Marital Status Single 62.7 76.9 62.2 64.3 60.0 71.2 64.3 Married 35.1 23.1 36.5 33.3 30.9 27.3 32.8 Divorced 1.5 - 1.3 2.4 1.8 1.5 1.3 Widowed 0.7 - - - 7.3 - 1.6 Educational Background Primary education 3.0 - - 11.9 - 1.5 2.6 Secondary education 21.6 7.7 23.0 16.7 16.4 7.6 17.7 Tertiary education 70.9 92.3 74.3 71.4 83.6 84.8 76.6 No formal education 4.5 - 2.7 - - 6.1 3.1 Religion Christianity 55.2 69.2 73.0 83.3 80.0 72.7 68.8 Islam 43.3 30.8 23.0 16.7 18.2 25.8 29.4 Traditional 1.5 - 2.7 - - - 1.0 Others - - 1.3 - 1.8 1.5 0.8 Occupation Business executive 17.2 - 12.1 11.9 9.1 18.2 14.1 Civil servant 21.5 15.4 9.5 23.8 9.1 19.7 17.2 Private employee 44.8 15.4 56.8 21.4 23.5 25.7 37.3 Medical 3.0 - - 2.4 5.5 9.1 3.6 Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 25 Variable Agodi Gardens (%) Olumirin Waterfalls (%) Lekki Conservation Centre (%) Idanre Hills (%) Ikogosi Warm Spring (%) Olumo Rock (%) Total (%) practitioner Student 9.0 69.2 9.5 35.7 45.5 18.2 20.8 Unemployed - - - 2.4 - 1.5 0.5 Others 4.5 - 12.1 2.4 7.3 7.6 6.5 Monthly Income None 1.5 - 8.1 - 21.8 12.1 7.3 Below 30,000.00 11.9 46.2 6.8 40.5 20.0 10.6 16.1 30,000.00- 99,000.00 28.4 46.2 16.2 38.1 21.8 31.8 27.3 100,00.00- 149,000.00 40.3 7.6 21.6 9.5 16.4 15.2 24.5 150,000.00- 199,000.00 7.5 - 10.8 2.4 3.6 13.6 7.9 Above 200,000.00 10.4 - 36.5 9.5 16.4 16.7 16.9 Nationality Nigerian 99.3 100.0 85.1 100.00 100.0 100.0 96.9 Foreigner 0.7 - 14.9 - - - 3.1 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Agodi Gardens, Ibadan Oyo State. Hospitality factors motivating tourists to visit Agodi Gardens are presented in Table 2, with the mean values ranging from 2.10 to 3.04. From the table, the highest mean value is the variety of food available at the destination (Mean=3.04), followed by recreational activities (Mean=2.87) and drinks (Mean=2.84), while accommodation facilities are the least (Mean=2.10). Table 2: Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Agodi Gardens, Ibadan Oyo State. Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 26 42 7 29 30 134 3.04 1.49 % 19.4 31.3 5.2 21.6 22.4 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 15 34 21 42 22 134 2.84 1.29 % 11.2 25.4 15.7 31.3 16.4 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 10 8 21 42 53 134 2.10 1.21 % 7.5 6.0 15.7 31.3 39.6 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool F 41 13 8 32 40 134 2.87 1.66 % 30.6 9.7 6.0 23.9 29.9 100.0 Average Mean value 2.71 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Olumirin Waterfalls, Erin-Ijesa Osun State. The findings of products that motivate tourists' visits to Olumirin Water Falls are presented in Table 3 below, showing the frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The means range from 1.23 to 3.31. Preference for drinks is the highest mean value (Mean=3.31), followed by recreational activities (Mean=2.62) and accommodation (Mean=1.54), with food (Mean=1.23) as the lowest mean value. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 26 Table 3: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits in Olumirin Water Falls Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 0 0 1 1 11 13 1.23 .60 % 0 0 7.7 7.7 84.6 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 2 7 0 1 3 13 3.31 1.49 % 15.4 53.8 0 7.7 23.1 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 0 1 1 2 9 13 1.54 .97 % 0 7.7 7.7 15.4 69.2 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool Average Mean value F 3 1 2 2 5 13 2.62 1.66 % 23.1 7.7 15.4 15.4 38.5 100.0 2.25 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Lekki Conservation Centre Lagos State. Hospitality products motivating tourists' visits to Lekki Conservation Centre are presented in Table 4. The mean revealed values from 2.08 to 3.68. Provision of food recorded the most outstanding value (Mean=3.68), followed by drinks (Mean=3.09) and accommodation facilities (Mean=2.39), with recreational activities as the smallest (Mean=2.08). Table 4: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits to Lekki Conservation Centre Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 25 24 10 6 9 74 3.68 1.35 % 33.8 32.4 13.5 8.1 12.2 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 17 13 19 10 15 74 3.09 1.44 % 23.0 17.6 25.7 13.5 20.3 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 9 9 8 24 24 74 2.39 1.37 % 12.2 12.2 10.8 32.4 32.4 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool F 6 7 9 17 35 74 2.08 1.31 % 8.1 9.5 12.2 23.0 47.3 100.0 Average Mean value 2.81 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Idanre Hills, Idanre Ondo State. Table 5 shows the result of products motivating tourists in Idanre Hills. It showed mean values from 2.81 to 3.71. The highest mean value was drinks (Mean=3.71); this was followed by food (Mean=3.62) and accommodation (Mean=3.12), and finally, recreational activities (2.81). Table 5: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits in Idanre Hills Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 10 14 11 6 1 42 3.62 1.08 % 23.8 33.3 26.2 14.3 2.4 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 12 15 8 5 2 42 3.71 1.15 % 28.6 35.7 19.0 11.9 4.8 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 4 11 15 10 2 42 3.12 1.04 % 9.5 26.2 35.7 23.8 4.8 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool Average Mean value F 5 10 7 12 8 42 2.81 1.33 % 11.9 23.8 16.7 28.6 19.0 100.0 3.32 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 27 Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Ikogosi Warm Spring Ikogosi, Ekiti State The mean values for motivating products at Ikogosi Warm Spring showed from 2.80 to 3.15. The highest was accommodation facilities (Mean=3.15), the next was recreational activities (Mean=2.93), drinks (Mean=2.80), and food is the most negligible value (Mean=2.15). The results are presented in Table 6 below. Table 6: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits in Ikogosi Warm Spring Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 5 9 5 6 30 55 2.15 1.46 % 9.1 16.4 9.1 10.9 54.5 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 13 9 6 8 19 55 2.80 1.63 % 23.6 16.4 10.9 14.5 34.5 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 17 10 7 6 15 55 3.15 1.63 % 30.9 18.2 12.7 10.9 27.3 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool F 15 11 4 5 20 55 2.93 1.70 % 27.3 20.0 7.3 9.1 36.4 100.0 Average Mean value 3.20 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in Olumo Rock, Abeokuta Ogun State Findings on motivating products in Olumo Rock were presented in Table 7, with the mean values ranging from 2.00 to 3.77. The provision of food is the highest value (Mean=3.77), followed by drinks (Mean=2.48) and accommodation (Mean=2.50), with recreational activities as the lowest (Mean=2.00). Table 7: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits in Olumo Rock Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 20 27 10 2 7 66 3.77 1.23 % 30.3 40.9 15.2 3.0 10.6 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 6 13 11 13 23 66 2.48 1.38 % 9.1 19.7 16.7 19.7 34.8 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 12 5 11 14 24 66 2.50 1.50 % 18.2 7.6 16.7 21.2 36.4 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool F 9 11 7 15 24 66 2.00 1.47 % 13.6 16.7 10.6 22.7 36.4 100.0 Average Mean value 2.71 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hospitality Products That Motivate Tourists' Visit in all the Sampled Destinations The findings from all the sampled locations illustrated in Table 8 showed the mean values st Preference for food has the highest value (Mean=3.16), followed by drinks (Mean=2,93) and recreational facilities (Mean=2,65) with accommodation as the most negligible value (Mean=2.47). Table 8: Hospitality Products Motivating Tourists' Visits in all the Study Locations Variables Response SA A N D SD Total Mean SD I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination F 86 116 44 50 88 384 3.16 1.49 % 22.4 30.2 11.5 13.0 22.9 100.0 I prefer to have drinks to food F 65 91 65 79 84 384 2.93 1.41 % 16.9 23.7 16.9 20.6 21.9 100.0 I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks F 52 44 63 98 127 384 2.47 1.40 % 13.5 11.5 16.4 25.5 33.1 100.0 I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool F 79 53 37 83 132 384 2.65 1.56 % 20.6 13.8 9.6 21.6 34.4 100.0 Average Mean Value 2.80 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 28 Hypothesis 1: Quality Food Availability Will Not Significantly Influence Tourist Motivating Factors. The result in the table below shows that there was a significant difference in the observed frequency distributions (X2=46.104, df=4, p < .05). Based on the observations, it was noted that 22.4% of the respondents strongly agree with the statement that they were motivated by the variety of food available at the destination, 30.2% agreed, 11.5% felt indifferent, 13% disagreed, while 22.9% strongly disagreed. This implied that most respondents (52.6%) agreed that the variety of food significantly influences tourist motivation in the study locations. This negated the formulated hypothesis 1, and it was rejected. Table 9: Chi-Square Summary on The Influence of Food Availability on Tourist Motivation Variables Response SA A UN D SD Total I am motivated by the variety of food available at the destination Fo 86 116 44 50 88 384 Fe 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 % 22.4 30.2 11.5 13.0 22.9 Chi-Square X2 46.104 df 4 p < .05 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hypothesis 2: Accommodation Facilities Will Have No Significant Influence on Tourists Motivating It was noted in the result that there was a significant difference in the observed frequency distributions (X2=63.161, df=4, p < .05). Based on the observations, it was noted that 13.5% of the respondents strongly agreed with the statement that the accommodation facilities more attracted them than food and drinks, 11.5% agreed, 16.4% were indecisive, 25.5% disagreed, while 33.1% strongly disagreed. This implied that the outcome of the distributions was valid for the conclusion. This suggested that most respondents (53.8%) negated the idea that accommodation facilities were motivating in tourist locations. This confirmed the formulated hypothesis 2, and it was accepted. Table 10: Chi-Square summary on the influence of Accommodation Facilities on Tourist Motivation Variables Response SA A UN D SD Total I am more attracted by the accommodation facilities than the food and drinks Fo 52 44 63 98 127 384 Fe 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 % 13.5 11.5 16.4 25.5 33.1 Chi-Square X2 63.161 df 4 p < .05 Source: Field Survey, 2021. Hypothesis 3: Tourists will not be significantly motivated towards tourist factors by recreational facilities Table 11 showed a significant difference in the observed frequency distributions (X2=68.240, df=4, p < .05). This was in a way that most of the respondents (53.8%) did not support the statement about the availability of swimming facilities. It was indicated that 30.6% strongly agreed with the view that they were more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as swimming pools, 9.7% agreed, 6% were indifferent, 23.9% disagreed, and 29.9% strongly disagreed. By implication, 40.3% supported the statement, while 53.8% negated it. This means that tourists were not significantly motivated towards tourist locations by the recreational facilities available in the study locations. This supports formulated hypothesis 3, and it was confirmed. Table 11: Chi-Square Summary of The Influence of Recreational Facilities on Tourist Motivation Variables Response SA A UN D SD Total I am more captivated by the availability of recreational facilities such as a swimming pool Fo 79 53 37 83 132 384 Fe 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 % 20.6 13.8 9.6 21.6 34.4 Chi-Square X2 68.240 df 4 p < .05 Source: Field Survey, 2021. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS The gender classification of tourists who visited the six destinations in the study was majorly male. This indicated that 51.8% of the participants were male, while 48.2% were female. This finding supported the Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 29 observations of Danjumbo (2019) in a study on travel motivation and tourist satisfaction in port harcourt pleasure park, where the study revealed that there were more male tourists than female tourists. This finding also revealed that most of the sampled respondents were youths within the age categories of 18 and 29 years (67.2%), and 23.1% were between 30 and 39 years. This finding is in line with the results of Pereira et al. (2019) in a study on the impact of travel motivation on tourist's attitude toward destination: evidence of a mediating effect of destination image which revealed that more than 50% of the respondents were young (age bracket 18-27: 27% and 28-27:35%). The result also supported the assertion of Morrison (2013) that people born from around 1980 to 2000 tend to engage in tourism activities more. These categories of people are also referred to as Generation Y, the Net Generation or the Millennials. On the marital status of the respondents in the study, the findings showed that 64.3% of the total samples were single, 32.8% were married, 1.3% were divorced, and 1.6% were widowed. This result is in tandem with the findings of Dunder & Gucer (2015), in a study carried out in Ankara, Turkey, on the Impacts of Socio-demographics on Tourism Destination image, which revealed that 54.1% of the respondents were single, while 44.6% were married with 1.3% as others. The educational background of the respondents indicated that just 3.1% of the total sample had no formal education, 2.6% had primary education as the highest form attained, 17.7% had secondary education, and 76.6% achieved the tertiary level of education. Given these results, most respondents had higher institution qualifications. This can be supported by the result of Morena-Gil, & Matin Santana (2013), in a study on the influence of motivations on the image of non-hotel tourist accommodation offerings showed that 45% of the participants were university graduates, and 49% belonged to the middle class. Also, it supported the result of Mak (2020) on motivations underlying tourist food consumption which indicated that most of the respondents were university graduates. The respondents' religious affiliation findings revealed that 68.8% of them were Christians, 29.4% were Muslims, 1% were involved with a traditional form of religion, and 0.8% were involved with other forms of religion. This finding agreed with the results of Agyeiwaah (2013) on volunteer tourists' motivations for choosing homestay in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana 64.2% of the volunteers were Christians. The Christianity religion had the most significant number of respondents. The occupations of the sampled participants were obtained in this study. It was discovered that 14.1% of the total sampled respondents were business executives, 17.2% were civil servants, 37.2% were employed with private firms, 3.6% were medical practitioners, 20.8% were students, 0.5% were unemployed, 6.5% were engaged with some other forms of occupations outside the listed. This result agrees with the findings of Boluwaji et al. (2022) that private employees and students were the most significant number of respondents in research on perceived factors affecting the patronage of domestic tourism in Osun State. The respondents' monthly income findings revealed that the highest income level earned between ₦30,000 and ₦99,999 monthly (27.3%), which is above the minimum wage in Nigeria. This result did not support the findings of Ojo, Ajayi & Majebi (2017) on visitors' attitudes and behaviour towards conservation at Agodi Gardens, Ibadan, which revealed that the majority of the respondent earn below ₦20,000 (61.0%). Information on the respondents' nationality in the study indicated that 96.9% of the tourists were Nigerians, while 3.1% were foreigners. The finding negated the finding of Ajayi et al. (2017), which stated that all the respondents in the research were Nigerians. It also supported the findings of Morena-Gil et al. (2016), which showed different nationalities in their study. Considering the general perception of factors motivating tourists' visits in all the sampled locations as observed in the results, it could be generalised that the most motivating factor within the locations was food. In contrast, other factors like drinks, accommodations and recreational facilities do not motivate tourists to visit the locations. These findings can be supported by the results of Guzel (2016) in his study on Gastronomy Tourism, which revealed that food is a crucial factor in tourists' motivation. Also, Quan & Wang (2004) posited that food could be used as a supporting activity and an activity in a tourist destination. Also, it negated the finding of Ojo et al. (2017), which indicated that most respondents (63.0%) visited Agodi Gardens for recreational purposes. Conclusion Tourism as an activity requires movement from the usual place or residence to a site called the destination. This activity will undoubtedly require the demand for necessities of life such as food, drinks, accommodation and recreational facilities. This study found that hospitality products can be a significant pull factor in visiting destinations if well harnessed. Recommendations After a comprehensive study of the research in the six destinations, the following recommendations are made: 1. Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) should ensure the availability of quality food varieties at the destinations. 2. Destinations like Olumirin Waterfalls should improve the provision of food for potential tourists. 3. Affordable and suitable quality accommodation should be made available at the destinations, given that Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper) 2312-5187 ISSN (Online) 2312-5179 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.65, 2023 30 more respondents earn a good income, indicating the availability of discretionary income. 4. Fascinating Recreational facilities should be made available as the study revealed the significant respondents as youths and active age. References Agyeiwaah, E. (2013). Volunteer tourists' motivations for choosing a homestay in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Vol. 2 (3) - (2013) ISSN: 2223-814X. Albayrak, T., and Caber, M., (2018). 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