Strategically located on the Horn of Africa with a variety of climatic conditions far more favorable for local and foreign visitors, Ethiopia which is also known as the water tower of Africa is an ideal destination for conference tourism and major world scale symposiums and meetings. Addis Ababa, the seat of AU headquarters and regional UN systems and embassies is now engaged in thriving conference tourism. The author wishes to briefly dwell upon the potentials and future prospects for conference tourism in Ethiopia.
The growth of conference tourism often known as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) is playing an increasingly vital role in Ethiopia’s economy, development, and global engagement. This burgeoning economic sector has already proved itself to be a major tool for promoting Ethiopia’s national image and global position.
As stated above, Addis Ababa hosts the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), thereby attracting frequent continental summits and global conferences has become a global hub of summits. This gives Ethiopia a prime seat at the heart of Africa’s diplomatic and development discourse.
In just a nine-month period, Ethiopia hosted over 60 major conferences, up from 19 during the same period the previous year. This year Ethiopia expects to host more than 70 regional and global conferences. During three to four months, it hosted more than 28 international events—the growth shows both scale and consistency.
The planned expansionann ual conferences expected to reach 80 events with around 16,000 attendees could generate significant foreign currency revenue and jobs.
The Addis International Convention Center (AICC), launched early 2025, as ideal venue for conference tourism spans 40 hectares, hosts up to 10,000 people at a time, and includes major halls and breakout rooms for conventions, trade fairs, and exhibitions. Other facilities such as Millennium Hall, Africa Hall (UNECA), and the AU Conference Center have long provided large-capacity event venues.
Initiatives like Sheger Park, Unity Park, Friendship Park, and cultural landmarks such as the Addis Ababa Science Museum and Adwa Victory Memorial Museum enhance the visitor experience and support informal networking alongside formal events.
Complemented by Ethiopia’s renowned warm hospitality and meaningful experiences like traditional coffee ceremonies, cultural tours, and historic storytelling these qualities create memorable conferences.
Ethiopian Airlines Group Africa’s largest airline provides extensive global connectivity and simplifies travel logistics for international visitors, while offering promotional travel packages tied to conference events. The Bole International Airport expansions and improved transport corridors in Addis make the city easier to access and navigate.
The Ethiopian Convention Bureau, established to professionalize conference bidding and operations, empowers Ethiopia to actively compete for hosting rights and manage events better.
National strategies like the “Dine for Nation”, “Dine for Sheger, “Dine for the Generation” initiatives support long-term infrastructure development, attraction building, and brand promotion. In addition, Addis Ababa’s Corridor Development Program has managed to attract thousands of tourists into the country and increase the diplomatic and political visibility of the country.
Beyond Addis Ababa, secondary cities such as Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and Mekelle are investing in infrastructure, diversifying Ethiopia’s MICE capacity and offering delegates cultural and natural tourism opportunities across regions Cultural and landscape-rich regions like Lalibela, Lake Tana, and the Rift Valley can be integrated into conference itineraries, strengthening economic inclusion across Ethiopia.
Conference tourism is not just an add-on it is a rising pillar of Ethiopia’s economic and diplomatic strategy. With improved infrastructure, institutional momentum, and expanding venues, Ethiopia is now positioning itself not only as Africa’s diplomatic capital, but as a global contender in MICE tourism.
Addis Ababa, in particular, is rapidly evolving from hosting high-level summits into a widely appealing conference destination providing both logistical capacity and enriching cultural depth.
In terms of the hospitality sector The hotel market in Ethiopia which is an important component of conference tourism is projected to reach US $1.03 billion in 2025, growing at around 3 CAGR through 2029, reaching some US $1.16 billion.
The number of five star hotels in Addis Ababa has increased, improving the city’s capacity to host international guests and enhancing service quality and confidence in Ethiopia’s hospitality offerings.
Government incentives such as five year tax exemptions, land grants, and technical support—have encouraged both local and international hotel investments across major cities Infrastructure gaps still persist some remote destinations face limited roads, inconsistent connectivity, and power issues.
There is a shortage of skilled hospitality professionals, though efforts are underway via vocational and international training partnerships marketing and branding remains underdeveloped; attracting high-spending international tourists via campaigns is an ongoing priority.
The city underwent rapid infrastructure transformation: upgraded airport, new roads, beautified parks (e.g. Unity Park & Friendship Park), and urban improvements under the corridor development project.
In just nine months, Ethiopia hosted over 60 major conferences, up sharply from 19 in the same period the year before a powerful indicator of accelerating momentum and global trust in its capacity.
The newly inaugurated Addis Ababa Convention Center, equipped with cutting-edge technology and adaptable event spaces, now meets international standards for global events.
The Ethiopian Convention Bureau (established in 2021) is professionalizing the MICE sector, improving marketing, and attracting higher value events.
Associations such as ETHMA are actively promoting conference tourism and aiming to generate significant tourism revenue targeting USD 500 million by drawing 1 million tourists in the fiscal year.
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, provides vast global connectivity and travel packages that simplify logistics for conference attendees.
The city offers a robust selection of over 65 hotels, with around 6,000 rooms and 210 meeting rooms, including high-end international and local hotels such as Sheraton Addis, Hyatt Regency, Ghion, and Skylight all equipped with conference facilities. Addis Ababa enjoys a relatively low crime rate, offering a stable and secure environment for attendees and organizers.
Conference tourism is expanding beyond the capital: Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and Mekelle are emerging as secondary hubs, helping diversify tourist flows and showcase regional culture and attractions.
Large-scale tourism infrastructure projects under the government’s “Dine for Nation” initiative e.g. Gorgora, Wenchi, Koysha eco resorts are creating new visitor destinations and support facilities across the country.
Digitalization of conferences in Addis Ababa is developing in a remarkable speed. In terms of digitalizing tourism and conference tourism the Ethiopian government, under its Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, has actively promoted tourism digitization across the country.
In July 2025, the Ministry of Tourism officially launched the “Visit Ethiopia” digital marketing platform, developed in collaboration with INSA (Information Network Security Administration). This portal functions as a one-stop hub with features such as interactive map and virtual tours.
Features such as Integrated booking systems (hotels, tours, transport),customizable itineraries and real time travel advisories and a market place for local vendors and tour businesses. This platform includes a special focus on MICE tourism, making conference and meeting services more visible and accessible globally.
The Ethiopian Tour Operators Association (ETOA) has developed an ISTM portal, intended to integrate with the Visit Ethiopia platform. The project vision is to unify digital listings, marketing, and service matching at scale.
In 2021 in collaboration between an organization and the MasterCard Foundation launched Ethiopia’s first travel and leisure platform, explicitly focused on boosting MICE tourism by making it easier to book conferences, tours, guides, and experiences via mobile and web apps.
Ahead of the 38th African Union Summit in February 2025, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a conference tourism capacity building program. It trained volunteers and professionals in protocol, diplomatic service, and national branding to uplift the conference experience for international delegates.
In late 2024, the government also established the Ethiopian Convention Bureau to professionalize MICE tourism introducing formal bidding, improved coordination, and strategic marketing.
Addis Ababa is rapidly transforming key infrastructure—modern convention centers, upgraded hotels, and beautified urban areas as part of the broader corridor development project. This effort is enhancing Addis as a viable destination for large-scale conferences.
Longstanding venues like Millennium Hall (built 2006) remain central to conferences, while newer additions like the expanded Skylight Hotel with over 1,000 rooms and extensive banquet facilities—support delegate accommodation and event hosting capacity.
Digital promotion tools (e.g. Visit Ethiopia, Discover Addis and Visit Addis Ababa apps) supported by the city bureau have created hundreds of jobs and helped aggregate tourism data to improve service visibility.
Ethiopia’s MICE tourism now accounts for an estimated 35–45% of tourism revenue, though exact figures remain unpublished. Between late 2024 and mid 2025, Ethiopia hosted more than 60 major conferences, compared to just 19 in the prior nine month window a sign of rapid growth.
Expanding platform features to include analytics, AI-based matchmaking of suppliers and delegates, and mobile integration for on-site conference management.
Improving regional coverage beyond Addis extending digital tools to emerging conference cities like Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and Mekelle was conducted. Strengthening internet access, especially in venues and hotels, to meet digital expectations from international attendees.
Up skilling service providers in digital literacy, foreign language support, and tech-enabled customer service. Enhancing global marketing, utilizing immersive virtual tours and social media campaigns targeting MICE audiences were held on various projects.
Ethiopia is advancing rapidly toward digital maturity in its conference tourism sector from launching national platforms and fostering tech innovation to building institutional and physical infrastructure. While challenges remain, especially around connectivity and skilled service delivery, the nation’s trajectory is clear: positioning Addis Ababa and eventually other cities as a digitally enabled, globally competitive hub for MICE tourism.
Conference tourism is already encouraging the country’s hospitality industry and is helping to generate income both for the country and the private sector. There is still space for improvement as the nation is marching towards integrated prosperity.
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 JULY 2025
