ADDIS ABABA– In a bid to realize eco-friendly tourism, the Addis Ababa City Administration is working to integrate tourism development efforts with the national green legacy program, Deputy Mayor Jantirar Abay said.
The Deputy Mayor has opened the 44thWorld Tourism Day in which Ethiopia celebrated on Tuesday for 36th time under the theme: “Tourism for Green Development – Green Development for Tourism.”
Jantirar stated that the development basis of tourism attraction is to protect nature, develop it and make it suitable for mankind.
Accordingly, Ethiopia is working on the development of green legacy in addition to developing man-made, natural and historical tourist attractions, he stated.
In this regard, the city administration has increased the forest coverage of the capital from 2.8% to 15% while efforts are still underway to develop various destinations and parks, he noted.
According to the Deputy Mayor, striving for green legacy enables the world to overcome air pollution that’s why the World Tourism Organization is celebrating the Day with a slogan“Tourism for Green Development – Green Development for Tourism.”
“Therefore, we can understand it in depth and give a practical response,”he said.
According to Jantirar, Addis Ababa is the hub of many tourist attractions,though it requires the cooperation of all stakeholders to make the capital a preferred tourism destination globally.
Addis Ababa City Administration Spokesperson Buzena Alqadir on her part said that stakeholders ought to play due role in a bid to elongate number of days visitors stay in the country.
This could be achieved through increasing tourism investment in developing attractions in a way that improve tourism income and the livelihood of residents.
Addis Ababa Culture, Arts and Tourism Bureau Head Hirut Kassaw (PhD) said that the city is working with great attention in the field of green development.
“In addition to the previous tourism activities, we will focus on tourism conference and health tourism,” she noted.
In addition, all the residents of the city should be well aware of tourism resources in the city and the Bureau will work hard to make Addis Ababa a clean, beautiful and convenient city for visitors, Hirut underlined.
BY ESSEYE MENGISTE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2023
