BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
Now is the time when people in most parts of the globe say farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year, 2023 as they are celebrating it. This month of the year is famous for people’s wishes and plans. It is the period that most people start planning the things that they want to accomplish throughout the year. It is also the time people think of travelling to other parts of the world and experience new life styles.
Unlike most parts of the world, Ethiopia is celebrating its own Christmas or locally named Genna. The world and Africa, in particular, know that Ethiopia uses it own language and calendar which is believed by most researchers the true datebook. Due to the above reason, only Ethiopia will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ after most parts of the world celebrated their Christmas two weeks earlier.
Some days after celebrating Ethiopian Christmas, the nation, especially the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians will be celebrating another colorful outdoor religious holiday called Epiphany or Timket in Amharic. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed this Ethiopian holiday under the representative list of the intangible cultural heritages of humanity in 2019. In relation to Ethiopian Christmas and Epiphany, the celebration in Lalibela and Gondar towns respectively is fabulous and many tourists travel to these places to witness the historic way of celebrating Ethiopian holidays.
It is remembered that the country was in an active war coupled with the global pandemic COVID-19 that severely affected the overall progress of the nation in which the tourism sector was more vulnerable. After the Pretoria Peace Deal on Cessation of Hostility Agreement (CoHA) reached between the two parties, life has resumed into normalcy.
Regarding tourism, January is an ideal month for the government and people of Ethiopia. A number of tourists including Ethiopian Diasporas will be travelling to Ethiopia to celebrate the upcoming two Ethiopian holidays. To this end, the government of Ethiopia and responsible stakeholders work jointly to make things easily accessible to Diasporas and tourists. At the same time, the government plans to attract more tourists and earn the benefits from tourism. Accordingly, the Ministry of Tourism and stakeholders especially Culture and Tourism Bureau of Amhara State Administration have crafted plans for the holidays as the celebration will be held at high level in Lalibela and Gonder towns.
Lately, Ministry of Tourism announced that it has been conducting various activities to welcome the tourists and Diasporas who plan to be in Ethiopia for the holidays.
Approached by the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), Tourism State Minister, Selamawit Dawit confirmed that the ministry has taken plenty of actions like promoting the tourism destinations to revive the tourism sector. Besides, the ministry is acting up on attracting and welcoming the Diaspora Community and tourists preparing various packages and friendly atmosphere to make life easy when they visit the tourist destinations.
“The Ministry always expects more tourists’ arrival during Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) and Epiphany (Timeket) holidays following their winter vacation period. It means that the Christmas and Epiphany (Baptism) are the golden opportunities to develop the tourism sector, especially to back the former statuesque of the war affected areas,” she said.
The State Minister also recalled that for the past few years, the tourism sector has cripplingly affected by the global pandemic and the war in the northern part of the country. After the current favorable situation in the country, the ministry is expecting more than hundreds of thousands of Diasporas and tourists from around the globe. In this regard, the ministry is working closely with stakeholders including States’ Culture and Tourism Bureaus to get the best out of the situation.
Be that it may, Amhara State Administration in collaboration with stakeholders has been working on creating better environment for the coming holidays. In this regard, Amhara State Culture and Tourism Bureau stated that the bureau plans to generate over 2 billion Birr from the upcoming holidays.
Having stayed with the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), Amhara State Culture and Tourism Bureau Deputy Head, Abay Mengiste said that the bureau has gone through preparation of all the necessary services with quality standard for the expected tourists who will travel to Lalibela and Gondar. In addition, the bureau expects more than 750 thousand local and international tourists in Gondar and over 1.5 million in Lalibela will be celebrating the Ethiopian Christmas and Epiphany.
The deputy head also reaffirmed that the tourism sector has severely affected by the global pandemic and the war in the northern part of the country. The bureau plans to use the two holidays as a spring board to revive the sector. Abay also mentioned that the stakeholders including government agencies and other service providing institutions have been working in harmony to provide better service and security for the guests.
He further explained that the bureau has held numerous discussions with local youth, elderly and religious fathers on celebrating successful festival. Also, professional tour operators and tour guides are ready to help the guests. The bureau also provided trainings for volunteer youth.
Infrastructure and services including star-designated hotels, lodges, and other tourist attraction sites are fully ready to avail quality services to local and international guests with recommended prices. “The bureau aims to capitalize on these festivities to enhance the flow of tourists and ease the sector’s glitch in the years to come,” Abay added.
In a similar vein, Gondar City Culture and Tourism Bureau Head, Chalachew Dagnew, on his part stressed on the integrated efforts by different stakeholders to welcome the guests in friendly manner. Not only have that, restoration of roads and water infrastructures are also essential for the holidays. He added, “Apart from the hotel’s preparation, the main roads in Gondar have been decorated with different lights to create an atmosphere of festivity among the guests and residents.”
As to him, ‘one household for one tourist’ platform was formed with a view to build the social bond between visitors and the local community in relation to the religious festivals. Extensive activities have also been carried out to promote the state’s world famous tourist attraction sites including the UNESCO- inscribed Lalibela rock hewn churches.
Likewise, according to a report from a local media, in order to make the tourism sector more productive and sought after the expected benefits, the Ministry of Tourism stated that a document is being under preparation to certify qualified professionals in the field of tourism and hospitality services.
As to the Ministry, the document is being developed by two ministries namely, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Labor and Skills. It is believed that the document will improve the tourism and hospitality sector regarding creating well- trained professionals that can contribute to the advancement of the sector.
It is also disclosed that in the process of preparing the document, experts from tourism training institutions, professional associations and other stakeholders have been involved. The qualification document incorporates professions like catering services, food preparation skills, reception, housekeeping, and laundry, pastry, and bakery services. The professional qualification document also includes list of tour operators and tourism guide organizations.
To wrap up the above ideas, the upcoming two Ethiopian holidays are the best means to revive the nation’s tourism sector. The government and stakeholders are working in unison to promote the holidays and are trying to provide better services to the expected tourists. The Amhara State Culture and Tourism Bureau is also working in collaboration with the federal government and stakeholders to get the expected benefit from tourists attending the holidays. It is the best season for Ethiopia to promote itself again to the whole world.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 6 JANUARY 2023
