Abstract:
The thesis presents “A History of Tourism and Tourism Resources in Bishoftu Town from 1946 to 2016”. It starts its historical analysis of tourism development in Ethiopia as an introduction and the geographical setting and historical background of Bishoftu town in the background. It investigates the land mark for the beginning of tourism in Bishoftu town and its historical development.The historical foundation and development of tourism in Bishoftu town is closely related with the establishement of the Fairfield palace of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1946 on the shore of Hora Harsadi. The presence of Hora Ras Hotel and lake Hora Harsadi around the palace creat a good opportunity for the coming of the royal family, nobility, officials,foreign officers, diplomat and individuals. The study assesses tourism development during the Imperial rule, Därg and Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.The town of Bishoftu is one of the tourist destination sites in Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary sources are utilized to bring out the history of tourism in Bishoftu town, its social, cultural, economical and environmental features. The paper also highlights historical development of tourism resources in Bishoftu and assessing the tourist and income generated throughout the period under study. Further more,this study attempts to show the distribution of tourism benefits in the town and also points out the major tourism related problems and appropriate solutions. Finally, this study tries to show the historical opportunities and challenges of tourism industry in the town since its foundation
