Addis Ababa - Banking on a combination of cultural diversity, natural scenes and historical sites, Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious tourism development programme that would make it a leading destination of holidaymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2020, Culture and Tourism minister Mohamed Dirir said on Monday.
Though the number of foreign tourists visiting Ethiopia and earnings from the industry doubled over the last decade, the industry still accounts for a meager 2 percent of the national GDP.
"We have set forward a strategic plan that focuses on the improvement of services at the existing hotels and resorts in order to achieve this goal," said Dirir.
"We are considering seriously of branding Ethiopia for what it offers to tourists destined to Africa."
In 2005 Ethiopia hosted 227 398 tourists compared to 184 077 arrivals the previous year. In terms of receipts, the country posted $134.5mn in 2005 - an increase of $20.2mn compared to 2004.
According to the minister, the government's commitment to enhance the role of tourism in the economy, and the increasing public and private investment in the development of infrastructure were basic factors that contributed to the humble rise in tourism earnings.
To provide momentum to the new plan for the industry, the government has drafted a legislation that would be ratified soon on upgrading Ethiopia's Hotel and Tourism Institute. Also, a tourism investment code was in the pipeline.
"A major priority area will be the elimination of supply barriers in the hotel, transport and tour operator sectors," Dirir said, adding that both domestic and international players would be encouraged in order to enhance the role of the private sector in tourism.
Though an ancient country that was believed to be the cradle of mankind, Ethiopia was like a man who overslept and is now waking up when the sun is already high in the sky to find its rank in the tourism industry. South Africa, being more politically correct, claimed to be the cradle of humankind.
One would ask: 'What has this East African country to offer other than monuments and a history of feudalism that was punctuated with internal rivalries, repulsion of colonial expansionists, and a military dictatorship alongside a chronology of natural disasters?'
In a bid to lure tourists from overseas, authorities in Ethiopia said what has been done on the promotion side so far was not enough to kick-start the industry's growth.
They were taking an unusual step to send 'Lucy' aka 'Dinknesh', the famed paleontological discovery of human fossils dating back 3.5 million years, on a 'know-Ethiopia tour' of museums in the United States.
The dates of her itinerary were yet to be fixed, but officials confirmed it would be in the near future. [For more..click here]
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