Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia, is rich in cultural and historical tourist attractions. It is the city of culture and history along with its welcoming atmosphere and friendly people.
That is why the World Travel and Leisure Organization put and touted the city among the 50 best places to travel in 2020.
The organization selected the places through studying vacation spots of the moment, referring different literatures, reading through tourism statistics, scoping out major events, charting new flight routes, and logging hotel debuts.
It also took stock of the most compelling new restaurant openings, scroll through listing travel advisors, first, plus trusted writers, hospitality insiders, and other pulling factors to visit the places.
Regarding the picking of Addis Ababa, the organization stated that for much of the past four decades, Menelik Palace loomed over Addis Ababa as a symbol of imperial imposition. The newly opened Unity Park, initiated by the reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and depicts the 19th and 20th century of Ethiopia contemporaneously, is also the other attraction worthy of a visit.
What is more, Zoma Museum and the major expansion work of the Addis Ababa’s Airport are also the latest signs that show as something has shifted in Ethiopia’s capital. Even any newcomers can easily witness the change easily.
According to Tourism Ethiopia, to boost the number of tourists visiting the country, apart expanding tourism destination, it is introducing new tourism strategy through working jointly with development partners.
As to Fitsum Kassahun, Public Relations Director with Tourism Ethiopia, said that the new strategy emphasizes on advocating international passengers that use Ethiopian Airline to transit to several countries. Over ten million international passengers pass through the capital to other countries using Ethiopian. The strategy, hence, enables passengers to visit Addis Ababa during their transit time. And this, in turn, can increase tourist inflow.
According to him, the strategy is also helpful to promote conference tourism and enable international communities visit Ethiopia during their stay.
“Currently, the government has been encouraging the participation of public private organizations to promote nation’s tourism potential in a proper manner. To this effect, a new taskforce that embraces business people, hotel association, tour operators and government organizations and stakeholders was established at national level,” he remarked.
The Ethiopian Herald February 19/2020
BY TAMERU REGASA
