The impacts of armed conflicts on the heritage tourism of Dessie and its environs, Northern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the impacts of war on cultural tourism within the context of northern Ethiopia, which is a known cultural tourism destination in the country. Ethiopia, one source of ancient civilization in the African continent, has kept a unique heritage treasure in different parts of its land. Its northern part is particularly rich in cultural heritage. During the ongoing war in northern Ethiopia, cultural tourism attractions were attacked, vandalized, pillaged and looted. The act of iconoclasm of historic photos and images was widely practiced. Therefore, this article appraises the impacts of this conflict on cultural institutions such as museums, historical halls and libraries and proposes resilience mechanisms in a post-conflict tourism landscape. The study is an exploratory study that employs qualitative research methods, including extensive systematic field observation, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The study findings indicate that the cultural institutions such as heritage houses, churches, mosques, museums, libraries and public spaces that express Ethiopian history and culture were damaged and pillaged during armed conflicts. Vandalism and iconoclasm were widely practiced in Dessie and Merho museums. Tourism infrastructure was damaged, and this, in turn, affected heritage tourism in the post-war periods.