OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN SIDAMA REGION: THE CASE OF HAWASSA CITY

Abstract Tourism is one of the most important economic sector. Studying the potential resources of an area is significant to the development of tourism for economic progress because tourism plays a great role for the economic development of a given country if appropriate measurements and actions are used unless it may result negative impacts on socio-cultural, environmental and economic aspects of an area. The researcher suggested that the study will be important for Hawassa city culture and tourism office and other stakeholders to take measurement actions in different tourism activities. So far, many studies have conducted to assess potentials, opportunities, and challenges of tourism development in different part of Ethiopia. This thesis was conducted with the objective of identifying tourism development opportunities and challenge in Sidama region: the case of Hawassa city. The opportunities are the presence of natural resources such as lake Hawassa with its tourism resources, comfortable climate condition, Tabor and Alamura mountains, fauna and flora, and the availability of man-made opportunities like Sidama cultural hall, Fichee Camballalla, monuments,the presence of standard hotels, resorts, active participation of the local community, implementation and follow up of the local government on tourism activities, and so on. Sidama region is one of the tourism resource potential areas of Ethiopia. Hawassa city is an administrative city of the former SNNPRS and the present-day of Sidama region with abundant natural and man-made tourism potentials as it is shown in the finding from questionnaire, interview and researchers’ direct observation. These tourism potentials with other opportunities were identified as success factors for tourism development in the study area. On the contrary, there are many challenges that are obstacles for the proper and full utilization of tourism potentials of the study area such as lack of cooperation and coordination among stakeholders, resources are not well preserved and protected, inaccessible of resources, less promotion , expansion of covid - 19, political instability of the country, low infrastructural development, insecurity , weak management structure of tourism sector, unsafe transport service, resources are not well researched, and others.