Patronage variability in Olumo rock and its impacts on a typical Nigerian community

Purpose Tourism has become a sustainable and viable tool in place making or community revitalization process. Residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts are critical to the sustainability of the tourism industry. This study follows a quantitative research approach to examine how variation in patronage pattern impact its host community using Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as a case study. Design/methodology/approach Primary data from 324 residents are analysed using mean scores, chi-square and one-way ANOVA analysis. Secondary data such as the number of monthly patronage and precipitation and temperature were also analysed. Findings The findings revealed that the majority of residents do not patronize the tourism destination and that patronage patterns were seasonal and varied within and between seasons in Olumo. The perception of the residents living adjacent to the tourism destination established that they experienced positive and sometimes negative regardless of the season of the year or the proximity residential neighbourhood to tourism destination. Originality/value The findings of this study are sufficiently valuable to merit further investigation. It also provides an important spatial–temporal platform for future tourism impacts variability research in Nigeria and other countries in the tropic region. Furthermore, it is apparent from this study that temporal analyses in a given tourism destination may not translate effectively into another. In this respect, tourism managers in Olumo Rock should be aware of fluctuation in patronage pattern so as to introduction other attraction components at the right season.