A recovery strategy is underway to help the tourism sector recover quickly from the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced.
Minister Hirut Kassaw (Ph.D.) said that the national committee that comprises various stakeholders to follow up the issue has approved the need for formulating a timely strategy that helps the tourism sector cope with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The tourism sector is one of the main areas of concern as it has been severely affected by the pandemic. That is why a practical strategy is needed to manage its quick recovery,” she added.
The Ministry held successive discussions
with pertinent stakeholders and state culture and tourism bureaus on the way forward and identified major challenges that the sector has been facing, she indicated.
Considering the risk of the pandemic, the ministry and concerned bodies should be quick in recognizing and implementing the plan seriously, she stressed.
Hirut also said that the plan sought to create a consistent flow of information among stakeholders and practitioners in the sector. The overall recovery plan will be implemented in line with the recovery strategy of international organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Travel and Tourism
Council (WTTC).
Ozzie Business and Hospitality Group Founder and Managing Director Kumneger Teketel told The Ethiopian Herald that having a well-established and well-prepared tourism sector recovery strategic plan is critically important at this time.
“We support the recovery strategy. It has to also incorporate inputs from all stakeholders by ensuring their active participation and engaging in a thorough discussion. This would help to identify areas of priority and share respective assignments among stakeholders,” he added.
According to him, having a recovery strategy by itself might not be enough
unless specific target areas are identified and every actor involved with a sense of accountability.
It will take up to a month to deliberate upon the recovery strategy before its implementation.
Currently, the tourism sector is among the leading sectors to be severely affected by Covid-19. Hotels and tour operators are struggling to manage the impacts of the pandemic, he noted.
“We postpone this year’s Hotel Show Africa Exhibition and we forecast that there might be a revenue loss for the next two years due to Covid-19. Moreover, we might lose up to 20 million Birr in connection with hosting the exhibition as a company”, he indicated.
The Ethiopian Herald May 7/2020
BY TEWODROS KASSA
