Traditional Crafts and Tourism Development and Promotion in Etim Ekpo Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Many Nigerian communities are richly blessed with their own indigenous crafts and industries, which could help them to grapple with their environment and progressively enhance their living. This paper seeks to identify and document some traditional crafts in Etim Ekpo, with a view to finding out how traditional crafts affects other aspects of the peoples' culture. The paper further examines how best to harness these traditional crafts/industries for tourism development in the area. Our interest on the study area arose due the fact that these traditional crafts/industries are fast being abandoned. It is our contention here that if these traditional crafts are not studied and documented, they will only be remembered in stories and myths as is obtainable in some African countries. Therefore, harnessing the potentials of Etim Ekpo traditional craft for tourism development will stimulate the growth of rural economy, serve as a vehicle for rural community development, create awareness of people's cultural heritage as well as generates employment.

Key words:Tourism, Development, Promotion, Crafts, Carving.