Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland Leo Varadkar and Culture and Tourism Minister Dr. Hirut Kassaw announced a new cultural heritage tourism partnership established between their two countries.
The announcement was made during a visit both parties paid yesterday to Lalibela which is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, according a statement Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia sent to the newsroom. Following the visit, the premier said the new partnership will consist of a series of exchanges and experience sharing between Irish and Ethiopian institutions, focused on cultural heritage tourism and rural job creation through tourism.
Dr. Hirut Kassaw will visit Ireland this spring to meet with relevant tourism and cultural heritage bodies in Ireland, including Failte Ireland and OPW, and finalise a programme of experience sharing between Ireland and Ethiopia.
Ireland and Ethiopia already have an existing partnership on cultural heritage tourism and there have been a number of exchanges between the two countries, including between tourism officials from Newgrange in Ireland and Axum in Ethiopia, he added.
“This new programme will deepen the partnership in 2019 and 2020 in an area that is vital for Ethiopia’s economic growth and job creation targets.” He also indicated that that Lalibela will join the 2019 ‘Global Greening’ and, along with hundreds of other iconic monuments and cultural heritage sites across the world, will go green on St Patrick’s Day 2019, to mark the deep friendship between the Ethiopian and Irish people and 25 years of diplomatic relations. For her part, Dr. Hirut noted as Tourism and culture have huge potential to drive economic growth and jobs in Ethiopia, particularly in rural areas.
“Ireland attracts almost double its population in tourists each year and we will look at examples of best practise in cultural heritage tourism and rural job creation through tourism in Ireland and apply relevant lessons to our strategy in Ethiopia,” she added.
Herald January 11/2019
BY STAFF REPORTER ADDIS ABABA
