Tourism Overview
Foreign Tourism
International tourist arrival to the Region has shown a gradual growth every year. Most international touri…st come to the SNNPRS to appreciate the untouched culture of the diverse ethnic communities and the associated natural attractions. The ethic communities in Debub Omo including Hammer, Bena, Mursi, Ari and their cultural practices as well as the Dorze and Konso people cultrual practice are very well-known and visited by many foreigners. Besides, NechSar and Mago National Parks are among the natural attraction found along the destinations visited by the tourist together with the cultural practices of the communities.
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Tourist visiting the lower Omo Valley Hamer and Dasench woreda of South Omo |
Domestic Tourism
It is the activity of people visiting destinations within their own country's boundaries or tourism of national visitors within the economic territory of the country. Religious travel is common in the Region. Domestic tourism (in relation to nature and culture) has shown a gradual increment for the last one decade in the Region. The number of national visitor is increasing in most tourists’ destinations area (National Parks and Cultural sites), indicating the interest of people to know the different attractions endowed in their neighboring Regions. There are a number of opportunities to organize and develop different types of domestic tourism packages in the region. These may include:
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Individual and group travel: Single men or women, married couples are moving far away from their normal living environment for honeymoon, recreational purpose(weekend)...
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Family travel: Family member travel from their living/working area (mostly town) to rural home to see their family and to pass holidays with them. During this time many family members are visiting a number of tourists’ sites.
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Business & conference travel as Incentive Tourism: Institutions and different Governmental and Non Governmental organization are encouraging to organize tour to different recreational sites to encourage the domestic tourism sector. For example: Organizing workshop, seminar, meeting, or discussions, far away the normal office environment or in the tourist, areas are highly preferable and encouraged by higher officials of different organizations as an incentive tourism and encouraging domestic tourism. In the region Arba-Minch, Hawassa, Butagira, Yirgalame, Sodo, Wolkite, Hossana, Dilla, and Jinka are some of the towns in the region where several workshops and discussion organized to be held.
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Educational and Study Domestic Tourism: Educational institutions arrange student tours per semester to various tourist sites (National parks, lakes, Cultural areas…). These include the Wildlife tours by the wildlife department,, Nature clubs in school & higher educations, teachers of higher schools, anti-HIV-AIDS Clubs, wildlife and tourism clubs, etc…For example the Wondogent Forestry college arrange trip for the students to wildlife area (Nech-Sar and maze National park) every year at the end of each semester for one or two weeks.
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Religious travel Domestic Tourism: people, independent of the type of religion followed, has traveled to different Churches, Monasteries and Mosques set up away from their living area within the country for the religious purpose. They traveled to these religious sites individually and in group with family etc…
Eco- Tourism
The SNNPRS is amazing region with abundance biological diversity. The region is known for its rich vegetation cover such as, Rain forest, woodland, savannah grassland, riverine associations, and wetland vegetation with their common and respective wild animals (mammals and birds). There is a great opportunity to experience a range of outdoor activities, such as caving, hiking, jungle trucking, swimming, boating, rock climbing, river cruising, bird watching and much more
Agro-Tourism
The concept of Agro tourism is a direct expansion of ecotourism, which encourage visitors to experience agricultural life. It is the form of tourism, which capitalizes on the rural cultural land scrape as tourist attraction. The Region is potential for agro tourism development. The Sidama zone ( Aleta wondo), Gedeo zone(Yirga-chefee) for their organic coffee production and cultural Agro forestry practices; The forested and the organic coffee origin of the western part of the Region (Bonga, Benchi-Maji and Sheka zones); The Konso Cultural landscape (terracing practices); these are among others actual and potential for agro-tourism development in the Region. |
