Religious tourism potential of Gishen Derbe Kerbe Mariam, Ethiopia

The main purpose of this research is to assess religious tourism potential of Gishen Mariam, in Ethiopia. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires, direct/participant observation, informal discussions and by managing secondary data. Categorical, explanatory and descriptive methods of qualitative data analysis techniques were employed for data interpretation. Eleven resources were identified as potential attractions for religious tourism development in the study area. Except for the museum which was under construction, resources such as landscape and scenery, religious festivals, church buildings, history of Gishen Mariam, holy water, the cave of king Lalibela, and the Natural cave were being utilized by and rated as attractive resources by the majority of respondents. Almost all the resources have utilized by domestic tourists alone. The article describes the splendors of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church landscape and argues that this unique spiritual area should be accessible to both international and domestic tourists