ADDIS ABABA – The state of the art construction of new tourist destination around Addis Ababa are hoped to raise the tourist flow to the city as well as the country after the current COVID-19 pandemic is over, a Heritages researcher says.
The three major tourist destinations, namely The Unity Park which was opened for visitors in late 2019, The China Aided Ethiopian Addis Ababa Riverside Project and Entoto Surrounding Tourist Destination Developments which are under construction and remain to complete with unique fascinating features to Ethiopia’s tourism.
Intangible Traditional Heritages Senior Researcher at Addis Ababa Culture, Art and Tourism Bureau, Mekbib Gebremariam said that though not well promoted yet, Ethiopia is rich in historical, cultural, traditional and other tourist attraction ruins and heritages, but currently there are new booms in expanding and capitalizing Ethiopian tourism destinations.
As to Mekbib the parks are world-class standard parks that accommodate many unique Ethiopian cultural and traditional values. On the other hand, these parks would help nearby tourist destinations outshine as major tourist sites.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) told the parliament that the tourism resource of Ethiopia is untouched with its unique natural, historical and cultural heritages and values. Considering this resource, his government is working to change the status by capitalizing the available potential resource with strategic investment on the sector to expand destinations and outshine the available ones.
Dr. Abiy noted that currently Ethiopia is the top-ranked list to become post-Covid tourist destination country in the world; this comes from the efforts of the government to outshine and promote the available potential and adding new destinations.
According to Premier Abiy the new parks, Unity, Sheger Riverside and Entoto surrounding are under construction with international standards by any qualification which will become the pride of Ethiopia. The projects are also new experiences on project completion which become real projects with in short period of time, only within months.
In this case, Mekbib said that, prior to Entoto Surrounding Project there was a plan to develop the same area for tourism which was only a day dream until the current project stated by Dr. Abiy. Mekbib said that “these three projects are incredible projects which change the old status quo on project delay with surprising standards”.
Dr. Abiy also noted that by developing other tourist destinations, in addition to promoting the available historical places and heritages, out of the capital, Ethiopia will continue to develop other tourist destination places during the post-Covid era. Adding that, the current projects are unique projects in quality standards, timely completion, performance and other measurements.
Dr. Abiy noted that with additional adjustments and investments, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) area, the Koisha Project and the surrounding, the Konta area, which is the earthly paradaise, Zegie and the Afar ecological places are unique world places which are still noncapitalized.
According to Mekbib these new parks are new opportunities in promoting Ethiopia’s values, sources of new earning, employment, recreation in addition to expanding the number of tourist destinations of Ethiopia.
As to Mekbib, for example the Unity Park is not only a park, it is all about history, zoology, Ethiopian values and century’s activities of the country with modern standard recreational centers which any visitor wants to visit. This helps the country to boost the tourist flow, foreign currency earing. This all helps to promote the country’s values, creates job opportunities and the three parks are also new dimensions in project performances not only in tourism sector but also as new experiences for timely completion of projects per the schedule.
For Mekbib these tourism parks are new turning points to bring radical change in developing Ethiopia’s tourism resource and destinations by capitalizing the available natural, historical and traditional values with modern facilities and recreational centers.
These three parks are also new opportunities for the metropolitan, Addis Ababa which is also the capital of Africa and a sit for over 120 Embassies, Mekbib said. For over a century Addis Ababa is the seat of the federal governments and also almost all Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia are settled in Addis, hence Mekbib said, these new tourist destinations will help to flourish the traditional, historical, cultural and natural values of Addis Ababa.
Recently, Forbes ranked Ethiopia first among the top seven countries which have post-Covid World potential to become major tourist destinations citing the pristine natural beauty, historic ruins, and fascinating cultural experiences of Ethiopia. Forbes mainly sees the natural, historical and cultural heritages and values of Ethiopia including its ancestry for all human beings.
The Ethiopian herald June 13,2020
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
