Abstract:
Travel and tourism is a growing industry which generated10.2% of global GDP and 292 million
jobs in 2016, equivalent to 1 in 10 jobs in the global economy. Simien Mountains National Park
(SMNP) is by far one of the most outstanding natural areas and thus one among the few natural
heritage sites of the world. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of SMNP
visitors’ i.e. reasons for visiting, sources of information, length of stay, perception/image about
SMNP and intention to revisit the SMNP. Management challenges include the fact that the
numbers of visitors are increasing, expectations of what a recreational experience offers differ,
and resources to develop sites are very limited along with the need to balance these multiple
objectives while maintaining a positive tourism experience. A key to addressing these needs is
an improved understanding of tourist characteristics. A cross-sectional study and survey
research design was used to describe characteristics of visitors in the SMNP. The findings of
this study will benefit the local communities, park tourism management, policy makers and
service providers. The astonishing nature of landscape and scenery take the lion’s share of
visitor’s motivation to visit the Simien Mountains National Park for tourism.
Keywords: Visitor characteristics, Semien Mountain National Park, length of stay, motivation,
image
