Psychographic and demographic insights from cave tourism in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Cave tourism holds great geotourism potential, especially in developing destinations. However, visitor profiling in West African caves remains limited, hindering sustainable tourism planning.
Aim: This study identifies and analyses the demographic and psychographic profiles and motivations of cave visitors in Anambra State, Nigeria, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and statistically tests whether demographic factors significantly influence visitor motivations.
Setting: The research was conducted across three caves in Anambra State (Ogbunike, Owerre-Ezukala and Ufuma), selected for their ecological, cultural and tourism potential.
Method: A quantitative survey (N = 577) classified motivational factors as intrinsic, extrinsic or amotivational, in accordance with SDT. Descriptive statistics established visitor profiles, while t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine motivational differences across demographic variables. Effect sizes were reported to indicate the magnitude of these differences.
Results: Students, businesspeople and civil servants were the most represented groups. Males aged 21–40 years predominated, and 93% of respondents had formal education. Visitors were primarily intrinsically motivated by enjoyment, spirituality and relaxation, while extrinsic motivations were minimal. Gender, age, education and religion significantly influenced motivation levels.
Conclusion: Demographic variables meaningfully shape cave-visiting motivations. Sustainable development of a cave tourist market in emerging destinations requires aligning management and design with these demographic and psychographic realities.
Contribution: This SDT-grounded quantitative study provides a replicable visitor-profiling tool and baseline dataset for West African geotourism, supporting segmentation, policy design and sustainable visitor-management strategies.