Assessment on Oromo Handcraft Products and their Harness to Tourism Activities: Adama, Bishoftu and Finfine (Addis Ababa) Areas in Focus

Abstract

The study has aimed to assess the Oromo cultural material handcraft products harnesses to tourism development, in considering the nature of link between both and taking Adama, Bishoftu and Finfine (Addis Ababa) cities case in point. Cultural materials are resources, like any other products, which can contribute to the general wellbeing of a society when properly integrated into tourism sector and used as products. Since very recently, the Oromo cultural material products commoditized forms are making their ways to modern urban shopping centers through few individuals’ personal initiations and motivations for promoting their culture and thereby generate income and create few job opportunities. Similarly the products non-commoditized category is scarcely introduced to tourism endeavored museum collection system in the three cities covered by the study. This study aims at assessment of both forms of handcraft products availability and integration conditions into tourism activities in the selected city centers. However, as the sector is only recently emerging in priority satisfying the symbolic and non-symbolic desires, the area has openly grabbed some opportunities and faced challenges of integration into broader tourism market. These merits and demerits in the sector have not been covered through academic discussion and suggested the necessary solutions. To this end, the study was principally focused on qualitative research method. Data were gathered through different kinds of qualitative data collection techniques such as interview, observation, focus group discussion, internet browser and document analysis. Findings of the study identified that beyond handcraft products cultural-symbolic enthusiasm values, the efforts to integrating these resources into broader tourism market was determined by absence of coordination among stakeholders. Result of the study indicated that Oromo handcraft products only recent emerging scenarios are handicapped by several lethargic factors ranging from weakness in processing the products for utility to market coordination to which strong measures for mitigation need to be designed. The researchers recommended that by linking the relevancy of the project to the objectives and missions of the universities including ASTU, such institution need to promote the aspects of cultural diversity, encouraging the art of creativity and revolutionizing a new approach to address the acute problems of the communities in this area. This can be done via the support of the diversified nature of the sectors and stakeholders