Running Head: Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago
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Running Head: Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago Sustainable Tourism Development in Eritrea: Assessing the Potential of the Tourism Industry as an Asset to Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation in Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago by Aman Haile A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts In Human Security and Peacebuilding Royal Roads University Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Supervisor: Dr. Hrach Gregorian March, 2017 Aman Haile, 2017 i Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago COMMITTEE APPROVAL The members of Aman Haile’s Thesis Committee certify that they have read the thesis titled Sustainable Tourism Development in Eritrea: Assessing the Potential of the Tourism Industry as an Asset to Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation in Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago, and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding: Dr. Hrach Gregorian [signature on file] Dr. Kenneth Christie [signature on file] Final approval and acceptance of this thesis is contingent upon submission of the final copy of the thesis to Royal Roads University. The thesis supervisor confirms to have read this thesis and recommends that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements: Dr. Hrach Gregorian [signature on file] ii Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago Creative Commons Statement This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc- sa/2.5/ca/. Some material in this work is not being made available under the terms of this licence: Third-Party material that is being used under fair dealing or with permission. Any photographs where individuals are easily identifiable. iii Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago Abstract Sustainable tourism is increasingly becoming recognized as an important economic asset for developing countries, with three tourism specific targets established in the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a significant dearth in empirical and context-specific research on the role of tourism in developing countries. This research undertakes a destination-specific assessment in Eritrea’s Massawa City and the adjacent Dahlak Archipelago to examine the potential for sustainable tourism development to contribute towards economic growth and poverty alleviation. The research adapts the Tourism Assessment Process (TAP) to conduct key informant interviews with local stakeholders and over 700 resident and visitor surveys in the target destinations to understand local and tourist perceptions towards the capacity of the tourism sector to sustainably contribute to the well-being of local communities and the surrounding environment, and compete in the international market. Key words: Sustainable tourism, poverty alleviation, economic development, Eritrea, Massawa, Dahlak, SDG iv Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ III Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ IV List of Tables ..............................................................................................................................VII List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... VIII Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... X Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Research Problem ...................................................................................................................2 1.2 Purpose of the Research ........................................................................................................3 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................................................4 1.4 Country and Destination Overview ........................................................................................4 1.4.1 Massawa ...........................................................................................................................5 1.4.2 The Dahlak Archipelago ..................................................................................................6 1.5 Organization of the Research .................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: Literature Review .......................................................................................................8 2.1 Tourism as a Tool for Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation .............................8 2.1.1 Defining the Tourism Industry.........................................................................................8 2.1.2 An overview of Tourism Development .........................................................................10 2.1.3 Sustainable Tourism for Development ..........................................................................12 2.1.3.1 Eco-Tourism ............................................................................................................14 v Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago 2.1.3.2 Pro-Poor Tourism.....................................................................................................16 2.1.4 Economic Impacts of Tourism in Developing Countries ..............................................18 2.1.4.1 Case Study Research Review-Impact of Tourism Specialization on the National Growth of Small Developing Countries ..................................................................................24 2.1.4.2 Case Study Research Review-Distributional Effects of Tourism Receipts on Household Incomes ..................................................................................................................25 2.1.5 Tourism Development in Sub-Saharan Africa ...............................................................27 2.1.5.1 Case Study Review-Rwanda’s Rapid Ascension to the Global Tourism Stage ......31 2.2 Conclusion: The Need for a Destination Specific Analysis .................................................33 Chapter 3: Research Methodology .............................................................................................35 3.1 Theoretical Framework of the Research ..............................................................................35 3.2 Research Team ....................................................................................................................38 3.3 Stakeholder Discussion Overview ......................................................................................39 3.4 Resident Attitudes Survey ...................................................................................................40 3.5 Visitor Practices and Attitudes Survey ................................................................................43 3.6 Ethical Considerations .........................................................................................................45 3.7 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................45 Chapter 4: Findings .....................................................................................................................46 4.1 Key Informant Interviews ....................................................................................................46 4.2 Resident Attitudes Survey Data from Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago .....................57 vi Sustainable Tourism: Assessing the Potential of Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago 4.3 Visitor Practices and Attitudes Survey Data .......................................................................69 4.4 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................78 Chapter 5: Discussion of Research Findings .............................................................................79 5.1 Situational Analysis of Tourism Development in Eritrea ....................................................80 5.2 Situational Analysis of Tourism Development in Massawa ................................................83 5.3 Situational Analysis of Tourism Development in the Dahlak Archipelago ........................86 5.5 Implications for Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation ....................................88 5.6 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................93 Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendations .........................................................................94 6.1 Recommendations ................................................................................................................95