Determinants of Tourist Length of Stay in Debre Markos

Abstract

From the tourism perspective for economic development of a country the length of stay of tourists at one destination is important for the destination as well as the service providers. Debre Markos (also called Mankorar) is a city and woreda in east-central Ethiopia. It is a town that is located in north-western Ethiopia, in Amhara National Regional State East Gojjam zone, at a distance of 300 km from the capital Addis Ababa. In Debre Markos town there is a flow of tourists from the different corners of the world. The town is also endowed with a number of attractions including Choke Mountain, Dimagiyorgis, Sentera Meadows and others. However even with good attractions the town is not able to extend the stay of the tourists for more than one night (in most cases) therefore; the objective of this study was to assess the determinants of tourist’s length of stay in Debre Markos Town. To achieve the objective of the study, the researcher employed Judgmental sampling. A sample size of 40 respondents was taken for the study. The study was conducted from March, 2017 to June 2017. The result illustrates lack of capital, mismanagement of tourist sites, under developed infrastructure and non-standardisation of services as the main issues confronted by Debre Markos, the tourist destination.

Keywords: Length of Stay, Tourists Satisfaction, Destination Determinants

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