New Media and Mass Communication www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3267 (Paper) ISSN 2224-3275 (Online) Vol.57, 2017 23 The Role of the Media in Tourism Development in Nigeria: The Rivers State Experience CHIEME, Azubuike, chieme.azubuike @gmail.com, NYEKWERE, Endwell Onyinye onyifavor@gmail.com NWAUBETA, Grace Nnennaya nnennayah@yahoo.com IKIRIKO, Stella I.G Department of Mass Communication,Port Harcourt Polytechnic Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Abstract The media are potent tools in mass mobilization, information dissemination, entertainment, socialization, integration, cultural promotion amongst others. The media plays a major role in cultural promotion and preservation at all levels. Cultural promotion entails that the media transmit and showcase the cultural heritage of a people to others such that those who are not aware of it become fully aware and also acquaint the incoming generation with their culture. Most of these cultures have gone into extinction or tilting towards going into extinction as a result of non-transmission to incoming generation. This paper x- rays the role of the media in tourism development in Nigeria with focus on Rivers State. The work is anchored on the Agenda-Setting theory which explains the effects of mass communication on culture and society. The work recommends that the media should do more in terms of advocacy reportage on cultural activities of Rivers State to keep the people alert and informed of such cultural activities as well as afford others the opportunity to leverage on the opportunities that such avenues provides thereby leading to tourism development in the state which will transcend to Nigeria as a whole. Key words: Media, Culture, Tourism, Promotion, Nigeria. 1. Introduction The media no doubt are pivotal instruments in society’s development as well as promoters of culture. The media functions within the nexus of society and just like the media cannot function effectively without the enabling environment provided by the society; the society itself cannot function well without the media. “The media are important shapers of our perception and ideas. They are conscious industries which provide not simple information about the world, but ways of seeing and understanding it” (Orlu, Orlu, 2013, p.124). One of the relationships between the media and the society according to Wilson, (2006) is that: The communication enterprise gets all kinds of inputs such as human, professional and technology from the external environment. These inputs are used for the production of media products. The communication enterprise must respond to socially approved values and emphasize those held in high esteem. In other words, it must correspond with or reflect the economic, moral, cultural and political traditions of the society (p.80). That is to say that the media must project programmes that are consistent with the values of society wherein they operate. Being that the “media are very important in the production and transmission of culture” (Okunna, 199, p.141), it becomes