Contribution of Carnival Calabar to Hotel Occupancy Rates and Revenue Generation in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the contribution of Carnival Calabar to hotel occupancy rates and revenue generation in Calabar. The study specifically assessed the extent to which the carnival influences hotel occupancy and revenue growth within the hospitality sector. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Data were collected from hotel managers, administrative staff, and frontline employees drawn from selected registered hotels in Calabar Municipality. The study population comprised 1,521 respondents, while a sample size of 384 was determined using the Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill finite population formula. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were employed, while questionnaires, interviews, and documentary review served as instruments for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. Findings revealed that Carnival Calabar significantly increases hotel occupancy rates, with 52.1% of respondents indicating high or very high increases in occupancy during the carnival period. The street parade emerged as the peak booking period, accounting for 31.0% of hotel patronage. Revenue generation also increased considerably, as 70.1% of respondents reported varying levels of revenue growth during the carnival season. Correlation analysis further revealed a significant positive relationship between carnival activities and hotel revenue growth (r = 0.412, p < 0.001). The study concludes that Carnival Calabar serves as a major catalyst for hotel industry growth and tourism development in Calabar Municipality. The study therefore recommends improved carnival programming, enhanced tourism marketing, and quality service delivery by hotel operators to sustain increased patronage and revenue generation.
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in TJESDS are under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows others to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
Under the following terms:
Attribution — Proper credit must be given to the original author(s) and source, including a link to the license.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
For more information, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
How to Cite
References
Adanse, J., Khayiya, R., & Maranga, V. (2024). Influence of optimal room occupancy strategies on revenue maximization during slack periods in selected 3-to 5-star hotels in Ghana. Research in Hospitality Management, 14(1), 57-69.
Almeida, A., & Garrod, B. (2022). Determinants of visitors’ expenditure across a portfolio of events. Tourism Economics, 28(8), 2099-2125.
Balogun, B. K., & Nkebem, V. (2022). Host community’s perception on the socio-cultural effects of carnival Calabar festival and tourism development in Calabar city, Nigeria. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Studies, 2(2), 149-159.
Beck, J., Harvey, J., Kaylen, K., Sala, C., Urban, M., Vermeulen, P., ... & Mital, P. (2021). Carnival optimizes revenue and inventory across heterogenous cruise line brands. INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 51(1), 26-41.
Bento, C., Almeida, P., & Jiménez-Caballero, J. L. (2022). The impact of the Web Summit on hotel performance, the case of Lisbon. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 21(5), 564-577.
de Sousa Bento, C. I. S. (2023). The Impact of Events on Key Performance Indicators in the Hotel Industry: The Case of Lisbon (Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de Sevilla).
Mpuon, J. A., Etim, G. S., Offiong, A. I., & Enouh, R. O. (2021). The role of event marketing in entrepreneurship development of firms in hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, 14(2), 25.
Nguyen, M. A. T., Yu, M. M., & Lirn, T. C. (2022). Revenue efficiency and its drivers in the cruise industry. Maritime Policy & Management, 49(7), 1010-1026.
Ntamu, F. O., Akawu, F. A., & Agum, C. (2023). Impact of Calabar Carnival on the Economic Development of Cross River State, Nigeria. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science 28 (4): 44, 53.
Okwajie, F. A., Undie, G. I., Igbang, V. O., & Chibuogwu, D. E. (2024). Management of Calabar Carnival and the Socio-Economic Development of Cross River State, Nigeria. Sch J Econ Bus Manag, 11(10), 283-300.
Piga, C., & Melis, G. (2021). Identifying and measuring the impact of cultural events on hotels’ performance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(4), 1194-1209.
Pons, S. T., Noone, B., & Johns, M. (2025). Integrated revenue strategy for the Park hotel: a data-driven approach to strategy development and evaluation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, 13(1), 29-44.