BY MESERET BEHAILU
HOSANNA – Hosanna City Administration disclosed a desire to capitalize on the area’s diverse culture, historical and natural attractions to establish a successful tourism activity with a view to putting the city among Ethiopia’s leading tourist destinations.
The City Mayor Lire Jemal told the visiting Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) reporters that a close partnership has been formed with relevant stakeholders to help Hosanna become a huge tourism destination in the coming five years. Though the area has been blessed with immense tourism potentials, citizens have not adequately benefited from the sector over the past many years due to various reasons.
According to the mayor, lack of tourism promotion scheme, inadequate infrastructure and imbalanced resource distribution are the main factors that hinder the city from exploiting the tourism potentials. To tackle the problem, the city administration is working in collaboration with various concerned bodies including Wachemo University, Fonko, Gemechu, and Meja Jura town administrations as well as the Hadiya Zonal Administration to help Hosanna to become a center of tourism.
The preservation of the tallest caves in the area, the construction of a -15- hectare Gofer Meda Entertainment Project, a- 6-hectare HodyEnfara project, which is used to mark a variety of festivals with different cultural foods are among the major activities carried out by the city administration in the tourism sector. Also, the construction of the 14.5 km road was also conducted in collaboration with city residents.
“As the city is the center for Welkite, Addis Ababa, and Wolayta to Arba Minch, it would have great opportunity to become a center of tourism if it appropriately employs the condition.”
Different ethnic groups have been living harmoniously in the city, and the Yahudie annual festival, which is one of the peculiar features of the Hadiya community, is significantly useful in promoting tolerance, compassion and forgiveness, the mayor remarked.
The 2007 census indicated that Hosanna is one of the most heavily populated cities in Ethiopia in accommodating over 425,000 residents.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2022
