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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">BJCR</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title xml:lang="en">British Journal of Contemporary Research</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title xml:lang="en">BJCR</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn>2979-8582</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Bexford Publishing Ltd</publisher-name>
        <publisher-loc><uri>https://bexfordpublishing.co.uk</uri></publisher-loc>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">BEX_SEP_26_029</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.67693/BJCR-P3K4YBAR</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group xml:lang="en" subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Original Research Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title xml:lang="en">Integrating Traditional Healing Homes into Ecotourism Development: Assessing Medical Tourist Flows and Soci-Economic Impacts in Cross River State, Nigeria</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group content-type="author">
      <contrib corresp="yes">
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Bassey Bernard Obagha</given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>bobassey@unical.edu.ng</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      <contrib>
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Akeh, Linus Beba</given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Calabar
Author 3: Eteng, Omini Edet</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Calabar</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="epub">
        <day>13</day>
        <month>10</month>
        <year>2026</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>1</volume>
      <issue>5</issue>
      
      
      <pub-history>
        <event event-type="received">
          <event-desc>Received: <date date-type="received">
            <day>04</day>
            <month>09</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
        
        <event event-type="accepted">
          <event-desc>Accepted: <date date-type="accepted">
            <day>11</day>
            <month>09</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
      </pub-history>
      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>Copyright (c) 2026 Bassey Bernard Obagha</copyright-statement>
        <copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
        <license xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">
          <license-p>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract><p>This study examines the integration of traditional healing homes into eco-tourism development in Cross River State, Nigeria, with a focus on medical tourist flows and their socio-economic impacts on host communities. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining survey data, key informant interviews and secondary records from traditional healing centres between 2020 and 2025. The study reveals a consistent increase in medical tourist inflows, rising from 12,360 to 33,940 visitors, alongside growing participation from other Nigerian states and international destinations. Findings show increases in average length of stay and visitor expenditure, indicating deeper engagement and rising economic contributions. Employment opportunities expanded significantly in informal sectors such as transportation, food vending, herbal product sales and accommodation services. Socio-economic indicators including household income, market expansion, and cultural preservation recorded positive outcomes, although infrastructural development remained limited. Regression results confirm that medical tourist inflow, visitor expenditure, community participation, and institutional support significantly predict socio-economic development (R² = 0.732, p &lt; 0.05). The study concludes that traditional healing homes function as emerging eco-medical tourism assets with substantial development potential, but require structured policy integration and infrastructural support for sustainability.
Keywords: Cross River State, eco-tourism development, indigenous healthcare, medical tourism, socio-economic impact, Traditional healing homes.</p></abstract>
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