Conservation and Management of Heritage and Heritage Tourism in Debre Tabor and its Environs Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to assess the conservation and management of heritage and the existing status of tourism in the town of Debre Tabor and its environs. The town of Debre Tabor is one of the exceptional towns in Ethiopia with a rich historical heritage. The historical sites of the area (royal camps, temporary palace, and industrial center) have left the marks of attempts of civilizations and modernization. Nevertheless, these sites are not fully documented and their value for local development through tourism is not sustainably utilized. This paper, therefore, using intensive document review, observation, and semi-structured interview as methods of data acquisition and qualitative method as methods of data analysis tried to fill this missing. The research finding revealed that the three identified historical sites of the area are in a bad state of conservation. The main reason for this is largely laid on unwanted human intervention due to both lack of awareness and absences of well-trained professional in the area of heritage conservations. The impact of natural agents of destruction on the sites is not also trouble-free. Moreover, due to lack of promotion, negative perception of the community, and lack of infrastructure, the tourism potential of the sites is underexploited.