BY TEWODROS KASSA
Different local and international tourists witnessed that Ethiopia owns abundant tourist attractions. It is the origin of the human being and is home to the oldest fossil known as “Dinknesh” or Lucy, which is more than 3 million years old. The Arabica coffee variety, the world’s longest riverAbay, Erta Ale,a continuously active basaltic shield volcano and Dallol Depression, the world’s lowest point are some among the others thatmanifest country’s rich tourism attractions.
Not only that, but Ethiopia is also home to several Rift Valley lakes and hot springs, including the vast wildlife parks and reserves that are only found in Ethiopia. It also embraces diversified cultures, languages and different beliefs. It has become the leadingAfrican country to register numerous natural, religious and man-made as well as cultural heritages in UNESCO.
Although it owns all these tourist attractions, it is rarely visited by domestic tourists except for foreign tourists. The culture of visiting tourist destinationsamong local peoplehas not developed at the desired level.
Approached by the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) Ministry of TourismState MinisterSelamawitDawit said that the Ministry has launched the campaign towards stimulating the country’s tourism potential through mobilizing domestic tourism so as to generate tangible income from the sector. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of international tourists visiting tourist destinationsbecomes limited and different countries have taken new measures to recover the sector.
Thus,it is time to utilize the domestic tourism and facilitate the tourism sector’s untapped potentials towards numerous job creations.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), domestic tourism comprises the activities of a resident visitor within the country of reference, either as part of a domestic tourism trip or part of an outbound tourism trip.During post- COVID-19 pandemic period, UNWTO expects domestic tourism to return faster and stronger than international travel. Given the size of domestic tourism, this will help many destinations recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, while at the same time safeguarding jobs, protecting livelihoods and allowing economic and social benefits tourism offers to also return.
Different researches also indicated that in most destinations, domestic tourism generates higher revenues than international tourism. Therefore, mobilizing domestic tourism is expected to substitute the revenue generated from international tourists.
Ethiopia is a very big country with abundant historical, cultural and religious heritages as well as natural resources. Tourism has recently been included among the five pillar economic sectors and considered as a key to lead the country’s journey towards sustainable economic development.According to the 10-year economic development plan, agriculture, manufacturing industries, mining, tourism, urban development, innovation and technology are the key development sectors endorsed by the Ethiopian Government.
“Currently, efforts are being made to make the society more curious about the country by making tourism destinations more interesting. The role of domestic tourism is significant in strengthening mutual cultural knowledge and national unity,” she said.
As to her, the campaign is mainly implemented through school-based tourism clubs and different public and private institutions. It creates an opportunity for the new generation in particular to visit and learn about the existing and new tourist destinations.
In addition, the campaignis launched to make a significant contribution in revitalizing the hotel and tourism economy.Domestic tourism hugely contributes to open better market opportunities to tourist service providers operating throughout the country.
Being the home to the second African largest population, Ethiopia seeksto generate more from domestic tourism andbenefit from the resources.The availability of numerous tourist attractions to visit is also the other potential to excel in the sector and contribute a lot to the country’s socio-economic development.
“The country’s tourism sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the security problem in the northern part of the country that last for two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a serious crisis on a global level. We are undertaking variousmeasures towards utilizing domestic tourism as a starting point to revive it. In this regard, we put an implementation strategy towards achieving our target.”
The other strategy being undertaken towards promoting the country’s tourism is reinforcing the relationship with neighboring countries and the international tourism; as well as pushing up the digital promotion.
If we know our society very well and discover every corner of the country, we will be able to understand others’cultures, languages and the like manifestations easily. In the long run, strengthening domestic tourism will help promoting internal unity and socio-cultural cohesions among Ethiopians.
Therefore, apart from the economic benefits, domestic tourism will brought significant contributions towards mutual support, political, and social cooperation among nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. Our history also shows us how our forefathers coexistedpeacefullywith a sense of solidarity, mutual respect and understandingirrespective of religious, cultural, ethnic or any other backgrounds.
When a community from one area visits another part of the country, it gets the opportunity to see how similar the cultures and lifestyles are. It can be well understood how many Ethiopian people have the same cultural background from one end to the other end. Thus, the campaign will also remindto facilitate ways of uniting and bindingEthiopians together. It allows us to give our own; and respect, accept and exchange the culture, identity and way of life of others.
Accordingly, the active participation of pertinent stakeholders from the Ministry, states, city administrations as well as individuals is fundamental to realize the ultimate purpose of the campaign.
The Ethiopian Herald November 11/2022
