Authenticity of Cultural Heritage Resources and Its Implications for Sustainable Tourism Development in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Many scholars across the globe have concurred that authenticity is one of the criteria to assess cultural heritage resources for sustainable tourism development. This is a criterion to consider, especially now that all sectors are faced with social evolution, environmental expansion, economic enhancement, heritage commoditisation, and modernization. Tourists’ satisfaction is determined by the level of authenticity of services and attractions experienced at the destination. However, it is now necessary to evaluate the state of authenticity of the various categories of cultural heritage resources for sustainable tourism development, using Ekiti State as a study area, because there is a dearth of research in this direction. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, in which both quantitative and qualitative data were found reasonable to achieve this objective. The study revealed that all cultural heritage resources in Ekiti State are still very authentic due to their artistic, cultural, symbolic, historical, and sustainable values embedded in them. These attributes of genuineness and uniqueness have positioned these heritage resources for sustainable tourism development.