Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Introduction: It is important that destinations are able to measure their competitiveness in order
to identify their strengths and weaknesses and thereby develop their future strategies. North
Gondar’s competitiveness as a tourist destination has not been studied and analyzed and so, no
study results have been used for an efficient decision making in the sector.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to present the results of a survey on the competitiveness of
North Gondar as an international tourism destination from a supply-side perspective.
Methodology: Both primary and secondary data were used in this research. As methods of
collecting primary data, a structured five point Likert scale questionnaire was employed and
data was collected from 170 respondents. For secondary data, published; such as books and
journals, unpublished statistical materials such as records maintained governmental
organizations and researches carried out by individuals, were used. Data was analyzed
quantitatively using frequencies, percentages, means, medians, modes and standard deviations in
SPSS and results were discussed on importance –performance analysis (IPA) grid.
Findings: The study finds that it is only with 33% of the total attributes presented to the
respondents that the destination was viewed to be competitive when almost all attributes were
seen to be important for the competitiveness of the zone in the international tourism market.
Practical implications: Responsible bodies might find the study findings and recommendations
useful for providing insights on how to improve the competitiveness of North Gondar as a
tourism destination.
Key words: Tourism; Tourism destination; Tourism destination competitiveness; Factors of
competitiveness; IPA grid; North Gondar zone
