BY ADDISALEM MULAT
It is an undeniable fact that Ethiopia is inundated with an enormous amount of flora and fauna, historical, cultural, religious, and archaeological attractions and things of that sort that can win the hearts and minds of each and every one as reliable as clockwork at the earliest possible time.
In a similar vein, as the country is generally known for its eye-catching resources that can melt the attention of tourists without a hitch, pertinent bodies should be able to acquaint the untapped natural resources of the country with the international community.
Against this background, all and sundry should be able to pull out all the stops with the object of turning the vision into a reality in a short space of time.
It is abundantly clear that the productiveness of the tourism industry needs better participation of local communities beyond a shadow of a doubt. Furthermore, the sector needs everyone to work around the clock, and like two peas in a pod on numerous occasions with everyone concerned.
By the same token, the government should give prominence to fair to middling tourism infrastructure and facilities, biodiversity-related conservation, an adequate amount of parks in the length and breadth of the country, and other things of a similar kind. In doing so, the tourism sector can reap the fruit of accomplishment within a very short space of time.
On top of that, to take the tourism industry of the country to a whole new level, tour operators, hotels, the Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Diasporas residing in a considerable amount of the world, print and electronic media outlets of the country and other things of a similar kind should be able to play a significant role in promoting the country’s tourism potential. They should be able to put everything into the sector without batting an eye for a fraction of a second.
Aside from regulating the smooth functioning of every bit of the system and providing trustworthy and up-to-the-minute information to tourists, every Tom, Dick, and Harry residing in the left, right, and center of the regional states of the country should be able to work in close association with every man jack.
Other than that relevant bodies should be able to hire highly qualified experts more than ever before that can take the sector to new heights within a very short time.
The Ministry should also be better organized and have well-qualified experts that can fortify its capacity to regulate the smooth functioning of the whole system and provide reliable and up to date information to tourists anytime needed.
Apart from that, they ought to work in a mutually reinforcing manner to preserve the country’s heritage, standardizing accommodation, and such similar things.
In an interview Dr. Ayalew Sisay, former Addis Ababa Tourism Commission Commissioner gave to The Ethiopian Herald published earlier said, “We are short of time to exhaustively put across the whole lot regarding the tourism journey of the country.
To the best of my knowledge, I would go so far as to say, nowadays, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has its reviving plan with a view to scaling up the tourism sector in the length and breadth of the country.
He went on to say that the tourism sector these days is well structured regionally and at the federal level. Furthermore, the country is at present well eyeing at the tourism and all concerned are working hand-in-glove as well as by the sweat of their brow targeting at furthering Ethiopian tourism. On those grounds, they have been strongly promoting Ethiopia despite the COVID-19 impact.
Interestingly, Ethiopia has got a lot of tourist attractions in every nook and cranny of the nation that serves as a tourist magnet. To mention but a few, Ethiopia is bedecked with manmade, natural, cultural, and other attention-grabbing attractions. It is no hyperbole to say Ethiopia is pretty untapped.
“First of all, we do not need any mass tourism because the policy itself pronounces a Sustainable Community-based Tourism Development. So, we have to make the community active participants as planners, implementers, and beneficiaries from the sector as such moves make the public develop a sense of ownership. Without the community developing tourism is unthinkable,” he added.
“We have to raise public awareness about tourism and encourage people who are extremely interested to come to Ethiopia from different parts of the world. Sadly, we are sitting locally and want to promote our tourism from Ethiopia.” he wrapped up.
In the present climate, following the determination of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a considerable degree of parks such as Unity, Sheger, Entoto, and similar things have been built in the capital. If truth be told, they play a significant role in tourists’ length of stay.
If everyone residing in every corner of the country works day in and day out attaching due importance to tourism development and economic growth, the intended target can be achieved within a short space of time.
The Ethiopian Herald January 30/2021
