Abstract

Ethiopia is extraordinarily rich in various types of tourist attractions. The potential tourist activities in Ethiopia are birds and wildlife viewing, picturesque scenery landscapes, hiking, boating/canoeing, horse riding, forest exploration, spa bathing, trekking, adventure, and other leisure activities. Hence, birds, wildlife, and vegetation in protected areas, mountains, geological features, caves, rock art, lakes, Eco lodges, and festival places of colorful ethnic groups are among the major ecotourism resources in Ethiopia. Ecotourism contributes economically to gross domestic product, foreign exchange earnings, diversifying regional economies, and it helps as a catalyst to the development of other sectors of Ethiopia beyond the tourism industry. Ecotourism is bringing into has direct and indirect benefits to local communities around the attractions. It brought employment opportunities to create new jobs, development of infrastructure, and transferring income from the wealthy to the poor at the destination. However, basic tourist infrastructures accommodation, transportation, communication, healthcare, and other services essential not fully reached all ecotourism attractions in Ethiopia. Therefore, the growth and transformation plan identified ecotourism, which is a part of tourism as one of the key sectors of economic growth for citizens, and more emphasis is given owing to its role in sustainable resource management in Ethiopia.

Keywords: Community based tourism; Eco lodge; Nature-based tourism; Sustainable tourism; Wildlife tourism