Impact of transportation in tourism sector

ABSTRACT
By making a brief historical survey about evolution of tourism in Ethiopia, this study examines the impact of transportation infrastructure on tourism management in Lake Tana region, North West Ethiopia,   with greater emphasis on road and water transportation and was carried out to determine if the region’s water and roads infrastructure were unsuitable for safe transportation and for tourism development. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary source was gathered through intensive reading in the archives& libraries of different institutions and through guided interview from knowledgeable informants. As to the secondary sources literature was reviewed in the areas of transportation, infrastructure and tourism. Data collected were interpreted using tables, charts and simple percentage analysis. Result showed that a developed water and road transport infrastructure open up the region for development of tourism industry thereby giving concerned authorities that have stake in tourism better access to destinations and heritages to properly manage the region’s tourism. Therefore, based on the results of the study, it is recommended that government should ensure continuous and regular check of water and road transport infrastructure in Lake Tana region with better cooperation among stakeholders  and involving  the local population for sustainable tourism.