Inventory and Assessment of Geosites for Geotourism Development in the Eastern and Southeastern Lake Tana Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Geotourism is a niche form of sustainable tourism that focuses on the geological and geomorphological features of an area, and the associated culture and biodiversity. Geosites are important resources for geotourism development. The eastern and southeastern Lake Tana region in Ethiopia has several geosites with a potential for geotourism development. Despite the diversity of potential geosites and the strategic location of the area in the Northern Tourist Circuit of Ethiopia, only a few attractions such as Lake Tana and the Blue Nile Falls are currently being visited. The objective of this paper is twofold: to inventory geosites in the eastern and southeastern Lake Tana region and assess their potential for geotourism development; and to propose a geosite inventory and assessment methodology for geotourism purposes with adaptations from previous studies. Several studies were reviewed and finally nine of them used as the main references to prepare the criteria, indicators, and sub-indicators for this study. The indicators used for assessing the potential of geosites relate to scientific, educational, scenic, recreational, protection, functional, and ecological values. This research presents the first inventory of geosites in the Lake Tana basin. A first list of 120 geosites has been inventoried. Further screening and clustering resulted in 61 geosites, of which 17 are viewpoints.Among the major geosites are waterfalls, a lake with islands and island monasteries, a flood plain, caves and cave churches, lava tubes, a mountain (shield volcano), volcanic plugs, volcanic cones, rock-hewn churches, and viewpoints. Quantitative assessment of the geotouristic potential of these geosites revealed that clustered (complex area) geosites received higher scientific, scenic, and recreational value scores.

Benefit Segmentation of Tourists to Geosites and Its Implications for Sustainable Development of Geotourism in the Southern Lake Tana Region, Ethiopia

“…Geosites offer the opportunity for the development of geotourism. This study adopted the definition of geosites as "geological or geomorphological features with one or more intrinsic values (i.e., scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational) as well as associated cultural and ecological values" [2] (p. 2).…”

“…4110 m a.s.l. ), caves and cave churches, volcanic cones and plugs, hot springs, and rock-hewn churches (see Tessema et al [2] for details). Most tourists visiting the southern Lake Tana region spend their overnight stay in Bahir Dar city.…”

“…Geotourism is one of the newest concepts in tourism studies [1,2]. It has become an important source of economic and social energy at local, regional, and international levels [3], and its popularity is rapidly growing [1].…”

“…The southern Lake Tana region in Ethiopia, the case study area on which this article focuses, has a diverse geomorphology and is home to many geosites, such as Lake Tana and its islands (with monasteries and churches), the Zegie peninsula and its monasteries, the Bezawit viewpoint, and the Blue Nile Falls [2]. The region is part of the Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, which was registered by UNESCO in 2015.…”

“…Furthermore, the area is strategically located in the northern tourist route of the country. For a detailed description of the geotouristic offer of this area, see Tessema et al [2]. In the years between 2007/8 and 2018/19, over 28,000 international tourists on average every year visited this region (data from Bahir Dar City Culture and Tourism Office).…”