An assessment of ecotourism potential for Community Based Ecotourism Development: The case of Alemsaga Priority State Forest, South Gondar, Ethiopia.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of the forest for ensuring community based tourism development (CBT) in Alemsaga Priority State Forest South Gondar zone. The study was descriptive Iin design and employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Questionnaires, key Informants interviews, focus group discussion, observations and a review of secondary sources were the main data gathering tools. Quantitative data was analyzed through the help of statistical package for social science version 22. Frequency, percentage, standard deviation and mean was employed. The study proved that an enabling policy improvement, global increasing demand for ecotourism, potential benefit of ecotourism, site location, expansion of academic institutions, growth attention of governmental and NGOs conservation project to the forest, suitable environment conditions of forests and their vicinity, upgrading and development of new of infrastructure development strategies, polices of the government and the abundance of diversified cultural tourism resources around the forest were opportunities for community based tourism development. The main conclusion drawn from this study was that community based tourism (CBT) has multifaceted contributions to make if it is to overcome the destruction of resources which is currently underway and if it is to improve the livelihoods of the people who live around the forest. To assure this, concerned stakeholders should make every effort to develop an effective ecotourism scheme.

Keywords

• Alemsaga
• potentials
• community based ecotourism
• forest
• Ethiopia