International Journal of Research in Tourism and Hospitality (IJRTH) Volume 3, Issue 3, 2017, PP 16-24 ISSN 2455-0043 http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2455-0043.0303003 www.arcjournals.org International Journal of Research in Tourism and Hospitality (IJRTH) Page| 16 Cave Tourism and its Implications to Tourism Development in Nigeria: A Case Study of Agu-Owuru Cave in Ezeagu Emeka E. Okonkwo 1 , Ezekaka Afoma 2 , Igwemadu Martha 3 1,2,3 Department of Archaeology and Tourism, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Abstract: Caves are natural resources that are valued to tourists because of its inherent natural features. This form of tourism attractions are being developed around the world primarily as a tool for the development of local and regional communities for income generation. Tourists are motivated to visit caves for adventures, education/research, socialization, recreation, and scientific purposes. Caves are very important to tourism if properly harnessed as it will improve the social and economic well being of the host community and also in conservation of the biodiversity and the environment. This paper examines the implication of cave to geotourism development in Nigeria with emphasis on Agu-Owuru cave in Ezeagu. The study uses ethnographic research method to elicit useful data and analyse them descriptively. Through the use of SWOT analysis, the paper proffers sustainable way of harnessing Agu-Owuru cave for geotourism development. The paper argues that if the studied cave is developed for tourism purposes, it will create job opportunities, improve the living standard of host community, and create avenues where economic goods will be captured as well as infrastructural development. Keywords: Cave, tourism, development, geotourism and implications 1. INTRODUCTION Cave tourism is becoming increasingly important to tourism development and as such tourists are motivated to visit cave for its inherent natural landscape features. Caves are part of nature or ecotourism that is capable of attracting tourists from different part of the world (Rindam, 2014). These natural landscapes are found fascinating and valuable to tourists. Caves constitute key elements of a karst system intervening through transformation process in the surface and subsurface of the physical environment and harbouring of wildlife (Lobo and Moretti, 2009). Tourist visit caves for recreation, education, and sometimes adventure reasons and People who explore caves often wear battery power headlamps and sometimes torch lights. In Nigeria, we have so many caves that have rich potentials for tourism development but are still lying dormant or untapped. Most of these caves are found in south eastern Nigeria. For example, Ogbunike cave, Owerri-Ezukala cave, Obimo cave, Uturu cave, Opi cave, Ajalli cave, Ugwuelle cave, Agu-Owuru cave etc. However, most of these cave have been relegated to the background without tourism consideration (Oguamanam & Nwankwo, 2015). Caves as natural resources can be great potential for tourism development and in return increase the growth of the economy of its host residents (Rindam, 2014) as well as help the government to achieve environmental awareness and environmental control education. Itanyi, Okonkwo and Eyisi (2013) opine that caves and rock-shelters have an immense value to both archaeologists and tourism operators. For archaeologists they provide information on habitation pattern of past human occupants including their dietary habits and religious belief system, while tourism operators and tourists perceive caves and rock-shelters as a means of experiencing nature based tourism or ecotourism. According to Knezevic and Zikovic (2011) caves are endowed with morphological features valuable for tourism development and with special interest to adventure tourists. Caves are important to tourism industry if properly harnessed and developed as it will rapidly increase economic, social and environmental benefits to the host community. Generally, tourism development often has both positives and negative implications on the host community. These are grouped into economic, socio-cultural and environmental implications which occur through interactions between host community and tourist during tourism experience or encounter. Tourism as a commercial activity can bring about economic, social, and environmental changes to tourism destination.