The Ethiopian government has so far been revamping regional tourist destinations, restoring historical sites as well as building new potential areas like Hallala Kella, Koysha, Wonchi, Gorgora, and others in a bid to attract more tourists from continental and global circumferences.
Born to the farsighted vision of the Prime Minister, the 'Dine for Sheger', 'Dine for the Nation', 'Dine for Generation,' and other united efforts have made Ethiopia the most preferable tourist destinations in the continent these days. Even the UNWTO has recently attested this fact.
All these promising tasks have helped Ethiopia in particular and the African continent and the globe in general bring about safe ecotourism and reinforce the tourism sector at a sustainable manner. Not only does this positive stride enable the country to be a desirable continental tourism destination but it also helps build a climate resilient economy across the continent and beyond. True, Ethiopia has so far been in a position to secure billions of dollars in spite of some social, economic and political challenges, which can be handled at its disposal.
The government has also expanded conference tourism as the country has once again become keenly aware of its immense tourism potential to help itself seize the tipping point of progress--a journey towards prosperity and real transformation.
Ethiopia has currently been selected as one of the most preferable tourist destinations in Africa and beyond. Such a rewarding achievement has never been recorded out of the blue, but demanding efforts have been exerted to help the country reach at this level.
A lot has been done despite some challenges compromising the country's endeavor towards real growth and prosperity like sporadic skirmishes in some parts of the country.
The country has taken the lead in attracting international tourists, and the tourist inflow to the country has been sharply rising. The very thing that has to be well taken into consideration here is there are many notable community tourism initiatives in various parts of the county, which need to be well focused on.
The Government of Ethiopia is currently implementing a number of strategic measures to further develop the country's tourism sector, including investment in infrastructure and capacity building on destination management. These measures reflect how tourism is firmly established among the development drivers of the country, and the commitment of the government to make sustainability a priority in future tourism progress.
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Ethiopia is endowed with rich historical relics which, combined with the hospitality of our people, make it viable for tourism. The government has lined up capable professionals to work within the industry and there is the right political will in place to contribute towards tourism.
The steps being taken by Ethiopia, namely enhancing the protection and conservation of tourist attractions, expanding the tourism infrastructure, establishing a tourism marketing organization and increasing education and training institutions in the field of tourism, will surely make tourism a pillar of the growth of Ethiopia.
Collaborated efforts are being exerted for boosting natural, historical and cultural resources to strengthen the tourism sector, identifying the potential value-chain gaps and intervening to allay these gaps based on tangible and scientific training jointly with the private sector and the international tourism community.
In sum, confidently making the country highly benefited out of the untapped tourism sector should not be left only to the government or line ministries and other concerned bodies as it badly requires the combined effort of all. Together, it is possible to make the tourism sector one of the leading economic sectors of Ethiopia as the great deeds done so far are living proofs in this regard. Hence, reinforcing collaboration in the areas of tourism has to come to the forefront to make Ethiopia a well-developed nation in the years to come.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2023
