CHANGING PATTERN OF HOSPITALITY DEMAND IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

摘要

The hospitality demand pattern in the Northern Nigeria is assuming an interesting dimension in the recent times.The traditional apathy for eating out is giving way to an increasing demand for function catering which leaves unsatisfied demand especially during weekends and festive periods.This paper investigated the changing pattern of demand for the hospitality industry.A survey of randomly selected users from Sokoto,Kano and Bauchi towns,totalling 300 respondents revealed that the level of socialisation has broken the cultural barriers in demand for accommodation,food and drinks.A mean test analysis showed a strong preference for use of restaurants,banquet halls,canopies and recreational areas during weekends and festive periods such as Sallah and Christmas for reception and hosting of important events;87％ of the respondents and their families personally engaged in one kind of functions or the other.The implication of this finding is that while many big hotels may experience low occupancies,those who are into outdoor catering may be faced with pressures of trying to cope with demand.It is therefore recommended that hospitality investors in Northern Nigeria should shift emphasis from building the so called ‘big hotels’ to exploring the fallow or vacant demand ground for function catering.