JATREP - Journal of African Traditional Religion and Philosophy

There is no doubt that there is abundant literature on tourism and its impact on development especially for the developing countries. Scholars has also, written reasonably on the need to improve the status of tourism in Nigeria due to the acknowledgement of its potency for socio-economic development. Yet, there is insufficient scholarly works on the religious shrines as veritable tools for improving tourism and recreation in Nigeria as a whole, and Igbo land in particular. However, there is extant evidence that many African shrines and sacred places have been neglected and abandoned and often times, misrepresented. The observed situation raises some questions which include; what are the potentials of religious shrines and sacred places for the enhancement of tourism in Nigeria? What can be done to our local shrines to be attractive for tourism? These questions call for study and hence, the need for this study. The main thrust of this paper is therefore; to highlight the great potentials the religious shrines and sacred place have for the enhancement of the tourism industry in Nigeria, Igbo land in particular. It will also make suggestions on how to improve our local shrines for tourism purposes.

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