THE ROLES OFINDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND HERITAGE RESOURCES FOR CULTURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN KONSO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA

Cultural heritage resource based tourism has become one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. It is also one of the possible development tools for local communities in developing countries. Indigenous knowledge practices and value systems in traditional rural societies have become the main forces for the production of cultural heritage resources. The cultural heritage resources can be categorized as tangible and intangible heritages and characteristically consist of movable and immovable assets inherited from the past.