ADDIS ABABA – Semein Mountains National Park visited by a record number of tourists despite the fierce wildfire that broke out last March and put into control later in April 2019.
Park Office Head Abebaw Azanaw told The Ethiopian Herald that this year’s overall number of tourists that had paid homage to the park is 32,400 and the park used to be visited on average by 25,000 tourists in the past.
Accordingly, about 40 million Birr has been collected from selling entry tickets and providing tourist services, he said. As to him, the number of tourists and the earning would be more than the registered one if challenges related to instability were curbed properly.
Asked about how this year’s wildfire that destroyed about the thousand hectares of the park did not influence badly the number of visitors, Abebaw said that wildfire is a normal phenomenon in the tourism industry that is why the fires do not appear a significant decrement in number.
Thanks to the rainy season, most of the grassland that has been affected by the fire has recovered shortly. And the rest part of the woodland that was covered by asta and amcha (indigenous plants) is recovering and recently 25 hectares of it has been reforested by planting about 38,000 indigenous seedlings, Abebaw stated.
There is also a plan to plant more indigenous seedlings, he said adding that the park office is also working with stakeholders to protect possible fire accident. “Therefore, we are working with the community around the park to facilitate conditions in which they can get the needed benefit and be guardians of the park.”
According to Abebaw, the office also works to strengthening inspection activities through patrolling its scouts in collaboration with the local peacekeepers. The office also prepared human and material resources to control possible fire accident. He noted that trainings have been offered to firefighters and materials like fire extinguisher, water sprayer and other instruments will be facilitated. Therefore, the head said the office expected more visitors next budget year.
The Ethiopian Herald, August 27/2019
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
