Challenges of Linking Tourism and Local Economy in and around Bahir Darking Tourism and the Local
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Date
2012-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Linkin g tourism and the local economy is one of the strategies to increase the economic
benefits of tourism to a certain destination and to distribute the revenue from tourism to the
local communit y. However , because of various challenges, it has now become difficult to link
tour ism and the lo ca l economy in and around Bahir Dar. This research was conducted with the
main obj ect ive of assess in g the chall enges which affect the linkages of tourism and the local
eco nom y in and around Bahir Dar. The research design for the study is descriptive. The
research instruments used for gathering qualitative data were interviews, informal discussion,
doc um en t analy sis and personal observation; the qu antitative one was gathered through
qu esti onn air es. A total o f 78 subjects (60 for interview and 18 for questionnaire) were
selected . Data ga th ered through qualitative methods were narrated; and the one through
questionna ir es were tabulated and described in frequencies and percentages . The local
pr oducts available in and aro und Bahir Dar include agricultural products, souvenirs,
ma np ower, tr ansport service, traditional ni ght clubs, textile, etc. The challenges which affect
t he s upply of local products for the tourism industry were related to low production capacity,
lack of orga ni zat ion of loca ls and poor quality of products in the study area. In addition,
absence of standard faciliti es and services such as food and drink outlets at some sites and
failin g to deve lop potentia l attracti ons and activities is another challenge to link tourism and
the local eco nomy . Hot els, lod ges ·and restaurants in the town could not get sufficient local
agric ultural products. These establi s hments, with the exception of few, don't participate in
ne ighborhood partners hip s that can benefit the local economy. In order to create and increase
th e lin kages between touri sm a nd th e local economy, there is a need to increa se local
production in ter ms of qu al it y and qu antity, ex pand tourist facilities and attractions and focus
on local products by tou ri sm bu s in esses.
Key Words
Tourism, challenges, local pr oducts, local economy, }Jahir Dar
Description
Keywords
Tourism, challenges, local products, local economy