Exploring Domestic Tourism in Ethiopia: Trends, Prospects, Promotional Marketing, and Challenges

Abstract

Domestic tourism is the largest form of tourism in the world, both in terms of tourist flow and revenue. Nevertheless, relatively it is overlooked by governments and scholars of most developing countries. Consequently, this article has tried to contribute to domestic tourism scholarship by exploring domestic tourism in Ethiopia, intending to uncover the trends, prospects, promotional marketing, and challenges. The research was descriptive in its design and has utilized primary and secondary data collected through questionnaires, interviews, and reviewed archives. The primary data were gathered from 386 domestic tourists and 37 tourism experts at four different destinations. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, content, and text analysis using SPSS and Excel software programs. The result revealed that tourism in Ethiopia, in general, has been rising, but the absence of domestic tourism data at the national level weakens the generalization and was evidence to the level of attention given to the sector. Domestic tourism was found to be misconceived by most tourism experts and businesses. The result further indicated the culture of tourism in Ethiopia, domestic tourism development potentials, and its challenges. Conclusions and recommendations vital for policymakers and practitioners are also provided.