Ethiopia to host 74 int’l conferences in next two months

ADDIS ABABA- The Ministry of Tourism announced that 74 international conferences will be held in Ethiopia in the coming two months, demonstrating a boost in conference tourism.

Ethiopian Convention Bureau Chief Executive Officer, Getinet Yigzaw, told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that 74 international conferences and events are expected to be held in Ethiopia in June and July 2025.

Accordingly, 31 international conferences and events will be held in June, while 43 global events will take place in July in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Ambo, Dessie, and Debre Tabor cities.

Among the international conferences and events Getinet mentioned are: Sustainable Water Management, Ecological Agriculture and Forestry, Plant Soil and Water Science, Cell and Tissue, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Biomedicine and Genetic Engineering, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Business Management, Wireless Network and Mobile Communication, and Environment and Life Science.

He noted that 84 international conferences and events have been held in the past nine months alone, with 30,340 foreign and 171,739 local participants. Nine international events have also been held so far this May.

The international conferences and events held in 2025 are growing in number, demonstrating that the country is becoming a preferred destination for conference tourism, he stressed.

Over the past 55 years, the country’s tourism sector was primarily focused on luxury tourism, aiming to attract one million tourists while achieving beyond the plan. However, the nation is now transforming into a hub for business tourism, the CEO said.

Accordingly, it needs to facilitate the required facilities and services for business tourists who need places to spend their time on entertainment like walking, jogging, doing other physical exercises, reading books, and so on, he indicated.

Previously, the maximum number of people in luxury tourism was 23 to 25, while it ranges from 200 to 25,000 delegates in business tourism. This will bring a lot of money into the economy, which is a great opportunity for national development, he explained.

BY ESSEYE MENGISTE

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE 2025

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