Measuring the Contribution of Specific Cultural Festival to Growth of Nigeria's GDP Through Average Tourists Spending

Tourists spending behaviours play major role in the potential of cultural festival to create forward linkage with other indicators of the gross domestic product (GDP).  This study focused on evaluating tourists spending behaviour on the different types of cultural festivals in Nigeria to determine their direct, indirect and induced effect on each naira of direct sales and number of jobs supported. A total of 9,984 respondents were surveyed across six states (1,664 in each state). We employed Stynes fairly complete micro-computer-based system for estimating economic impacts of recreation and tourism; and the money generating model (MGM) in the data analysis, to estimate the  direct and total sales, marginal earning on each naira (income) and employment effects of tourists' spending on state and local government revenues. At α = 0.79 we found that earning on each naira of tourist spending at the Igue cultural festival Benin city, the Riye musical festival Abeokuta, the Ofala cultural festival Onitsha, Calabar carnival, Calabar, the Kwagh hir Masquerade festival Makurdi and the Arugungun fishing festival Gusau in that order added 61 kobo, 61 kobo, 62 kobo, 89 kobo, 30 kobo and 30kobo respectively in secondary effect or induced effect. In the same order, the multiplier effect of the spending supported 2 local jobs; 2,700 local jobs; 400 local jobs; 27,000 local jobs; 15 local jobs and 21,850 local jobs respectively in the respective states. The study recommends the need to measure tourists spending within well defined categories to identify not only the kinds of products and services being purchased and the types of businesses directly receiving these funds but to also identify the sectors receiving the spending. This is important as it ties changes in tourists spending to a regional economic model