Evaluation of the Prospects of Farin Ruwa Water Fall as Tourist Attraction for the Development of Nasarawa State

Tourism is a global scale industry with growing impact on the environment which provides new opportunities. When tourism potentials are developed and managed, they can generate substantial economic benefits to an area without creating any serious environmental or social problems. This research evaluates the prospects of Farin Ruwa waterfall as a tourist attraction for the development of Nasarawa state. The study area was the Farin Ruwa Development Area which was carved out of Wamba Local Government Area of the State. The research targeted local officials and tourism professionals as the population of the study. The sample size of the study is 31. Well-structured questionnaires were randomly administered to the population of the study. Sixteen were explicitly given to the local officials in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and another 15 questionnaires for tourism professionals. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive methods. The results showed that Farin Ruwa waterfall have not been developed and are faced with the problems of infrastructural facilities, and many people are not happy with the present state of the waterfall. It is believed that if the waterfall is developed, it will bring enormous benefits to them. The research recommends that government should put in place a phased-out policy initiative to harness and fast-track the development of this Waterfall instead of the lackluster and slow developmental efforts. The study also recommends Public-private partnerships to encourage and stimulate the development of the waterfalls. In conclusion, Farin Ruwa Waterfall is a unique tourism potential which will become a major tourist attraction when properly planned and developed. This will improve the local economy by creating jobs and business activities thereby improving the living standard of the local communities and also developing the state economically through revenue generation.