ASSESSMENT ON DETERMINANT FACTORS FOR TOURIST’S INFLOW IN ETHIOPIA, (THE CASE OF SELECTED TOUR AND TRAVEL AGENTS IN ADDIS ABABA).

Abstract

Tourism is no more an occasional past-time for wealthy and adventurous people nowadays, everyone is participating in the tourism industry. May it be a catering company, a hotel or an entertainment business in fact, tourism has an impressive impact on its host country economy. It increases the growth rate, national profit, investment and country‟s popularity as well as going from short term to long term improvements. This research work intends to investigate the determinant factors that affect the flow of tourists in Ethiopia. In addition the research investigates major challenges encountered by the tourism sector that may reduce the flow of tourists and tourist‟s satisfaction. Based on literature four tourists flow determinant factors (Insecurity, marketing promotion of the tourism products, Infrastructures at tourist destination places) have been selected as forecaster of determinant factors for tourists flow.. The study adopted quantitative and qualitative research approach. Data were gathered through already tested questionnaire from 73 Tour and Travel Agents in Addis Ababa. The samples were selected by purposive sampling technique. The data was gathered through 5-point likert scale, and some open ended questions and analyzed with the help Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25. To test the relation between tourists in flow and the variables listed as determinant factors, descriptive statistics analysis was used. The result shows that insecurity of the country occurred for the past years highly affected the flow of tourists, poor infrastructure at tourist destination and totally in the country also negatively affected the flow of tourists and the marketing strategies tour and travel agents used also somehow affected the flow, in addition the result show the government involvement/commitment/ is very poor and the countries does not earn the revenue as needed.. Therefore the government of the country should give great attention in areas of securities, infrastructures like communication including internet, Road, Hotels, Transport etc and the marketing promotion strategies should be well designed by the government and the travel agencies also.