BY TEWODROS KASSA
The Amhara State is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia. Having numerous major and emerging tourism hotspots and wide ranging sector activities enable the State to attract more international and local tourists. The State is home to prominent tourist destinations such as the rock hewn churches of Lalibela, Gondar castles, Tis Esat fall on the Blue Nile falls, the Lake Tana monasteries, among others.
In doing so, the Amhara State has announced that it has generated a better income compared to the past similar budget years in the first half budget of the 2022/23 budget year. The State’s Culture and Tourism Bureau disclosed that it has collected over 2.49 billion Birr revenue from the tourism sector over the last six months.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict in the northern part of Ethiopia, lower infrastructural facilities in the past have been the major reasons behind the poor tourism sector performance in the country and the State.
In an exclusive interview with the Ethiopian press Agency, Amhara State Culture and Tourism Bureau Deputy Head Abayneh Mengistie said that the State hosted over 9.2 million local and foreign tourists, of which over 9.18 were local tourists. Over 11,364 foreign tourists visited different tourist sites over the last six months.
The above income has been registered following the peace agreement reached between the Ethiopian government and TPLF. The existing relative peace has encouraged the tourists to visit the State though the number of visitors was not sufficient, he indicated.
According to him, the multiple activities that have been carried out in the sector, such as expansion of tourist resources and attractions around destinations, including infrastructure development, promotion of natural, cultural, and religious attractions and improving services helped it register remarkable successes.
Making tourist sites comfortable and increasing tourists’ stay in destinations, ensuring sustainable peace and stability and related tasks are future priorities of the Bureau to milk much out of the sector.
Moreover, as the State houses various tangible and intangible tourist destinations, it is capable of attracting more visitors. Over the last six months, the State has earned over 2.49 billion Birr revenue from tourists who visited Lake Tana Monastery, Tis Abay Waterfall, Simien Mountain National Park as well as attended various festivals and events.
As to him, the Bureau has prepared a tourist destinations improvement plan to make sites more comfortable for visitors and to prolong tourists stay. Besides, what are required for the growth of tourism, including financial supply, scaling up the service sector, expanding transport and road alternatives as well as making conditions to host tourists are being well underway in a bid to further revive the sector. What is more, preparations are also underway to welcome guests/ tourists who would come to the country to attend various events in the future.
Recently the Republic of Indonesia Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and members of the African Union visited the Simien Mountains National Park that are found in the State.
After visiting the Simien Mountains National Park, Amb. Al Busyra Basnur expressed his impression to local media “I am very pleased to visit such a heart taking scenario. During my stay here in Ethiopia, I did not expect that there would be an attractive tourist destination like this, but I luckily found this one very mesmerizing and impressive,” he said.
“The natural beauty of the park, he continued, is not only providing tourists with ample opportunity to refresh themselves; but also let them have chances to enjoy, take photos, make films, do researches and carry out many more activities,” the Ambassador said.
Visiting many parts of the Park, the Ambassador said that he is optimistic that more Indonesian tourists will be visiting the site and Ethiopia; and Indonesia should tighten their solidarity with regard to reviving the tourism sector.
The Ambassador also vowed to introduce the appealing site and the experience he has gained from the tour and other catchy areas to his whole families, communities, followers, fellow citizens and others- about the best scenery of the Park which in turn helps the area to be one of the best tourist destinations.
“Ethiopia and Indonesia are keen to capacitate the tourism sector to make the countries one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Indonesian tourists will also be ambassadors of these two countries. The whole communities around the world have to visit Simien Mountains National Park,” the Ambassador recommended.
Currently, the Ethiopian government has given due priority to develop new tourist destinations across the country. The Gorgora tourist destination is among the newly developing tourist destinations in the Amhara State and sought to be the other emerging tourist destination.
The grand Gorgora project is nearing completion as the final phase of the construction is well underway and; when it is completed, it will be the other potential tourist destination in the State in the near future. The Gorgora project along with Wenchi and Koysha projects is part of the national projects initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) in 2020 to preserve natural resources and unleash tourism potentials in the country.
In sum, the presence of major tourist destinations and newly developing tourism projects will have an immense contribution to boost and expand the tourism sector and income from the sector.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2023
