-Preparing for colorful Epiphany festivity
ADDIS ABABA–Preparations are underway to celebrate a colorful Ethiopian Epiphany at Lake Batu, Oromia Tourism Commission announced, while expressing ambition to increase tourist arrivals by leveraging the opportunities the festival offers.
Commission’s Communication Director Efebas Abdulhabib told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the celebration of Epiphany, which is amongst Ethiopia’s intangible heritages enlisted under UNESCO, is a religious holiday that takes place across the city and spills into Lake Batu. It is the place where small traditional canoes carry replicas of the Ark of the Covenant and congregants to Ketera, where the eve as well as the main celebration takes place with the splash of holy water to mark the baptism of Jesus Christ, Efebas stated.
Nonetheless, this colorful celebration has never been paid adequate attention for too long and remained celebrated by the people in the surroundings only, he said.
With the coming in to force of Oromia Tourism Commission, several activities have been carried out to promote the tourism destination to the rest of the world. However, he indicated that many tourists are now marking the celebration in the area following the promotion activities.
Currently, the commission is undertaking preparation activities although security issue needs due attention. Hence, the Director urged the communities to play part in ensuring peace in the area so that the country could generate the required benefit from the sector.
He highlighted that the government is undertaking several activities to improve the sector.
One of such efforts is the corridor development projects that are transforming the standard of cities, making convenient living environment for citizens and tourists, he explained.
Oromia Tourism Commission is also carrying out various tourism promotion and development activities. Besides the ‘Visit Oromia campaign’ that has been held for the past four years and half, it is performing tourism promotion, marketing development, destination development, research and analytic activities, according to Efebas.
Moreover, the commission is putting utmost effort in making events that are being conducted in the state as tourism destinations, he noted.
Furthermore, activities are ongoing to acquire international titles for tourism resources in the area. To date, the state has inscribed ‘Wenchi’ as ‘World tourism village’ and ‘Lapis’ as world’s best tourism village. Similarly, the Bale Mountain’s National parks also registered under UNESCO.
The commission is also working to inscribe other resources under UNESCO and to enable other tourism resources gain international recognition, he added.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 9 JANUARY 2025
