Community Based Ecotourism Development in Choke Mountain and Its Environs, East Gojjame, Amhara Regional State
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study is focused on community based ecotourism development in the Choke
Mountain and its environs. The research focuses on assessing tourism resources,
community involvement and empowerment in tourism development process. In order to
achieve the objectives of the study primary and secondary data gathering techniques
were used by employing qualitative approach for (interview, focus group discussion and
field observation) and quantitative approach for (questionnaire for open-ended
questions). Target subjects were culture and tourism office, agriculture office and the
local community. Purposive sampling technique used to select Woredas and Kebeles and
experts. 127 respondents were selected from the three groups by employing both
pUlposive and simple random sampling techniques. The research found that, Choke
Mountain is gifted by tourism resources. Also choke mountain and its environs is rich in
churches and monasteries with their tangible and intangible cultural and historical
tourism resources and communities' living culture such as Fukura,Shillela and Eskista.
The result revealed that having these resources, there is high community involvement in
natural resources conservation such as planting, terracing, and land closer. Potential
community based ecotourism activities were identified but there is low community
interest and involvement. Potential community based ecotourism activities include
handicraft, renting pack animals, culture show about the communities living and danCing
style such as Fukura, shillela and Eskista, providing accommodation and rest services,
tour guiding services, trekking, providing local agricultural products, caving tour, bird
watching, camping, photo tour, pilgrimage tour and festivals. Because of low level of
communities ' involvement, the local communities are not empowered in benefits and
decision making. There are natural resources conservations and tourism development
cooperatives but they are weak in material, finance, and creating job for local youths,
income creativity, and weak organizational structure and large in number in each group.
Cooperatives have the possibility to do ecotourism business if they re-organized. At the
end implementing community based ecotourism development in Choke Mountain and its
environs needs further research.
Key words: Choke Mountain, Ecotollrism, Community Based Ecotourism
Development, and Community Involvement
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Keywords
Choke Mountain, Ecotollrism,, Community Based Ecotourism, Developmen, and Community Involvement