Challenges and prospects of lake Tana island monasteries as a tourist site since 1950s: The case of Kebran Gabriel

Abstract

Nowadays, tourism plays pivotal role for economic and social development of many nations. It is considered as the world's first investment movement of the 21 st century. Thus, developing countries are giving due attention to service delivery industries like tourism that contributes a lot to their economy. Ethiopia has its own long centuries of history and rich culture. For instance, Amhara national regional state has been endowed with rare and endemic cultural and natural heritages. In this regard, the island monasteries of Lake Tana which are the green flower baskets of the lake have potentials for the development of tourism in the area but yet it is fully unexploited. Currently, tourism sector is facing multifaceted challenges, and it is attracting the intellectual gaze of many scholars from various disciplines. This article is a step in that direction. The grand objective of this article is to examine the historical vicissitude of tourism developments in the island monastery of Kebran Gabriel. Towards this end, archival sources are consulted and interview is made with informants. So, it is needless to say that this article attests the challenges and prospects of the island monastery of Kebran Gabriel as a tourist site since 1950's.