Opportunities and Challenges of Community-Based Tourism Development in Southern Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was conducted with the main objective of identifying the opportunities and challenges of Community-Based Tourism (CBT) development in Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Eight potential tourist destinations were identified based on a set of a priori inclusion criteria. Primary data were collected from 153 households among residents of the potential sites, and key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted. While residents’ positive outlook towards tourism development and willingness to host tourists, fair availability of infrastructure, and rich eco-tourism potential were identified as the major opportunities for CBT development in the area, weak tourism marketing, limited accommodation facilities, and limited community awareness were identified as the major challenges. Despite the challenges contributing to the low level of CBT development, we show that the Southern Tigray is an area with a remarkable eco-tourism potential that could be exploited using a sustainable CBT model to the benefit of the local economy. Hence, stakeholders in the tourism development sector should work with local communities to utilize this untapped potential.

Keywords

• community based tourism
• opportunities
• challenges
• tigray
• ethiopia