Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 278–284
Mulugeta Asteray Demssie1
1 Department of Tourism Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Tourism has become agent of change for sustainable local development in different parts of the world. It is supporting the economic growth and is driving force for poverty alleviation program of many developing nations. In Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP) of Ethiopia, tourism is the main motivation to conserve its biodiversity and aesthetic beauty. It has shown better conservational efforts and created environmental awareness amongst the local community though the economic reward tourism brings. The sector is becoming the main means of livelihood in adjacent towns. It is also supporting the livelihood of traditional farmers in and around the park by generating extra income. Different employment opportunities are created for the community, especially to the young. The local community understands the value of their culture and tends to preserve it. Tourism in the park is establishing a long-lasting productive base to allow the local communities and service providers to enjoy a better standard of living. This paper has outlined how tourism is contributing to the sustainable development of the study area.
Author Keywords: Tourism, Sustainable Local development, Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP).
Mulugeta Asteray Demssie1
1 Department of Tourism Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Tourism has become agent of change for sustainable local development in different parts of the world. It is supporting the economic growth and is driving force for poverty alleviation program of many developing nations. In Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP) of Ethiopia, tourism is the main motivation to conserve its biodiversity and aesthetic beauty. It has shown better conservational efforts and created environmental awareness amongst the local community though the economic reward tourism brings. The sector is becoming the main means of livelihood in adjacent towns. It is also supporting the livelihood of traditional farmers in and around the park by generating extra income. Different employment opportunities are created for the community, especially to the young. The local community understands the value of their culture and tends to preserve it. Tourism in the park is establishing a long-lasting productive base to allow the local communities and service providers to enjoy a better standard of living. This paper has outlined how tourism is contributing to the sustainable development of the study area.
Author Keywords: Tourism, Sustainable Local development, Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP).
How to Cite this Article
Mulugeta Asteray Demssie, “Tourism as Sustainable Local Development Option: A Case Study in Simen Mountains National Park, Ethiopia,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 278–284, January 2015.
