Urban Tourism And Wateront Exploring The Case of Hawassa Waterfront

Abstract

Tourism in urban areas and waterfront development are issues, which can influence different aspects of a town directly or indirectly. Different problems may arise if the integration of waterfront and urban tourism is not well controlled in towns. High pollution problems, random existence of service giving activities, uncontrolled flood, uncoordinated layout and planning practices, lack of institutions willing to integrate professional guidelines, and hotels and resorts around the lake have all affected the urban tourism at the waterfront. Hence, the main objective of this research was to redevelop the waterfront of Lake Hawassa to increase urban tourism activity. Different kinds of literature regarding lakefront and urban tourism, challenges and barriers on lakefront development, benefits of lakefront development for inhabitants, and land use and tourism were referred. To achieve the objectives of the research both primary and secondary data have been collected. Hence, questionnaires had been prepared to collect the primary data from different groups that focused on different issues. In addition, interviews and direct observation were also conducted to collect the data. The result of the study reveal that the area is exposed to waste from different sources which is one of the barriers for urban tourism experience at the lakefront, inhabitants at the lakefront mention rainy seasons in Hawassa creates difficult situation for tourists turnout areas at the waterfront because flood coming from upper part of the town brings the waste dumped on the streets and from the drainages through the waterfront areas to the lake, tourist turnout relatively increases during yearly celebration of cultural activities but weak integration of the activity to other lakefront activities is affecting the urban tourism, the number of tourists increases from time to time but in a decreasing rate and boat tour is one of the activities the domestic and foreign tourists enjoy doing but security issues and unorganized spaces are affecting the tourist turnout, the area experienced rapid land-use and land-cover change, and there is unmanaged commercial activity at the waterfront which is one of the barriers for well organized urban tourism activity. Generally, waste disposal mechanisms, organization of different activities, integration of cultural activities with other lakefront activities to increase tourist turnout, informal activities, over exploitation of resources, lack of strong control of land-use protection and development codes, and the current COVID-19 pandemic are major barriers affecting the urban tourism and tourist turnout at Lake Hawassa. Therefore, preparing a waste management system that is easily applicable, re-structuring of activities at the lakefront, binding land-use plan which can be easily adapted by the local people and tourists coming to the area is essential along with planning and designing different infrastructures, walkable spaces, and using cultural spaces as a potential and systematic integration of cultural activities to other activities at the lakefront will increase the tourist turnout at the waterfront by removing the barriers against it.