BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
ADDIS ABABA – Oromia Culture and Tourism Bureau said that it has planned to establish Tour Guides Association to help the state increase tourism revenue passing though an integrated passage.
Though the state does have several untapped tourism resources, they have not yet exploited to enable the state promote its socio-economic trajectory.
As tourists are the main source of revenue, bringing the various tourist guides association functioning in a scattered fashion is instrumental in prompting the image of the nation and escalating the foreign currency the country could potentially garner.
Oromia Culture and Tourism Bureau Head Kebede Desisa said that following the recent reform, various initiatives and measures are taken in tourism sector. Mega projects such as Sheger, Entoto and other huge parks have been built.
Oromia state has taken various measures to restructure institutions to fill the gap and utilize untapped tourism potential. As part of it, the Bureau has established Oromia Tourism Commission.
According to him, although the country has huge tourism potential, revenue of the sector is still low. To reverse it, an integrated effort of experience, knowledge and working together is very important as the sole effort of the government could hardly change situation. As a result, establishing Oromia Tour Guide Association will promote region’s as well as country’s untapped tourism potential.
Moreover, the step will help tour operators serve customers well, make them much more beneficiary as well increase sector gain to the nation.
Since only developing tourism destinations is not the end in itself, identifying, promoting and solving sector challenges is should also be taken as a critical step.
To this end, establishing such an industrious institution is a timely step with a view to sharing vital information, addressing sector challenges, querying rights, as well as promoting tourism potentials and others.
Tourism Ethiopia Director Sileshi Girma, on his part said that the government has undertaken various reforms in the sector to support the tourism sector well flourish. It has been performing several tourism destination developments across the country. For instance, in Addis Ababa alone, it has developed and opened three main tourism destinations.
Establishing an association at regional level is important to support efforts of federal and other institutions to come together in an integrated way.
The tourism sector has created over one million jobs over the last year, it has learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald 27 April 2021
