Potential Impact of CANIRIV on Socio-economic Activities in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract: There has been a growing increase in the range of cultural festivals and events globally and as the range grows over the years, their impacts have increasingly come under the scrutiny of funding agencies as well as, policy-makers and planners. It is encouraging to read how successful festivals are, not just in terms of the economy, but also in making people proud of where they live and the community-based feelings, which are rekindled through such events. This paper shows how far Rivers State as a people, have come and gives an indication of how it can build on this success to truly make Rivers State the home of festivals and hospitalities .To this extent, the main goal of this paper is to assess the potentials of Port Harcourt city festival, CARNIRIV, in impacting on the socio-economic activities in Rivers State, Nigeria as that would have implications for tourism development in the state.