Community Based Eco-Tourism Development In The Case Of Chebera Churchura National Park

Abstract

Community based Ecotourism has become an important trade and prosperity sector in the world. The Government of Ethiopia has been setting striving growth targets for the tourism sector, which will shape the sectors strategies in the upcoming years. Specifically to the study area Chebera Churchura National park is the most ideal place and suitable to develop community based ecotourism development because of its immense tourism resources potentials as hotspot tourist attraction and new sitting for diversifying the tourism products and services of Ethiopia as a nation. This study was conducted with objective of assessing the tourism resource potentials of the park and the surrounding area, challenges that hampering the community based ecotourism development, identification of community based ecotourism destination stakeholders with their role and responsibilities and also determine the level of the host community involvement towards community based ecotourism development in the case of Chebera Churchura National Park and Surrounding Environs. The research has attempted to integrate both qualitative and quantitative approaches and descriptive method. Questionnaire, interview, focus group discussion and observation were used as instruments of data collection. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS Version 20 software and presents by using descriptive statistics like frequency and percentage. The collected data from the target population were analyzed, presented and discussed through mixed approach (qualitative and quantitative) to draw a lesson. The finding of the study shows that the area has several community based ecotourism potentials. However, in the study area several limited potentials in terms of lack of community participation and engagement, poor decision making process, lacks of tourism infrastructure like road electric city Accommodation facility and service, lacks of finance and budget, human resource incapability, poor marketing and promotion, human wildlife conflict, lacks of coordination and cooperation. The level of host community involvement considered as positive in many aspects. The Public (EWCA, TE, park office), private, local community, media, destination development and for the advancement of community based ecotourism destination development of the park and surrounding environs. Keywords: Community based Ecotourism Development, Potentials, Challenges, Stakeholders, Chebera Churchura National Park.