POTENTIALS OF HERITAGE RESOURCE FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT THE CASE OF SEKELLA WOREDA WEST GOJJAM ZONE.

Abstract

tourism is estimated to contribute about 10% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and the largest contributor for the creation of jobs across the world. travel scenario of Africa, there have been 58 million international tourist arrivals and 35 billion international tourism receipts by 2016 which shared 5% of tourist arrival and 3 % of tourist receipt in the world. In sekela woreda heritage resource potentials for developing of tourism destinations have not been examined by researchers conducted before this study,in addition there is no research conducted on heritage resource potentials in the study area, Therfore to fulfill this gap the researchers was inspire to conduct this study. The main objective of the study is to explore heritage resource potentials for the development of tourism in Sekela Woreda. The study is supposed to benefit those officers, custodians, and planners by providing better understand on the potentials of heritage tourism and its development challenges of the Woreda. The study may also give an insight for tourism development challenges to the concerned stakeholders. The researcher was applied a qualitative research approach and the descriptive research design. In this study the researcher has used non-probability sampling designs for selection of informants. To do so, key informants seven from Sekela Woreda church clergies and owners of heritage resources, one from the Woreda diocese (betekihinet), two from the Woreda Culture and tourism office, and three from other sectors of the Woreda, six from local communities, and five from local story tellers were purposively selected based on the set criteria. Altogether, 24 key informants were being interviewed besides to focus group discussion and field observation. Results of this study revealed that different factors like, weak promotion of tourism destinations, weak infrastructures development, and inadequate accommodation deliverers, Shortage of banking facilities are the major hindering factors of tourism industry development in the study area. Finally Based on the research finding the researcher's was made recommendations to the various concerned bodies in order to increase the proper utilization of the available tourism potential and opportunity.