In many countries, domestic tourism is a lucrative industry that contributes significantly to both local and national economies. You do not anticipate being labelled as a “tourist” when you travel a short distance from your house. In general, domestic tourists are anyone who undertakes travel activities in their own country of residence. Countries rely on domestic tourism as a tool to reduce poverty, improve infrastructure, and generate employment opportunities and most importantly it helps to catalyse economic growth. The activities of domestic tourists create economic importance as the money spent on domestic tourism feeds back into that particular country’s economy, providing itself with a more viable and prosperous economy.
Recently Addis Ababa Culture, Arts and Tourism Bureau were providing training to professionals in the field to enhance the culture of visiting the country. The training was attended by different clubs and associations working on visiting and knowing home country coalition, travel associations and experts in the field. The Bureau has provided training to professionals in the sector to promote the culture of touring in the country. The Addis Ababa Culture, Arts and Tourism Bureau’s Directorate Director of Tourism Destination Development and Promotion of Domestic Tourism, Samson Ayenachew, pointout that the Bureau offers expert assistance and coordination to all parties involved as well as various clubs and associations that participate in activities related to visiting domestic tourist sites within a nation.
According to Samson, tourism is one of the top drivers of the economy with ICT, mining, agriculture and manufacturing, adding that currently the bureau is working on the development of tourism destinations and the promotion of domestic tourism.
It is worth noting that in the past three months, the Directorate has provided training in the field of modern service delivery to professionals in parks and public recreation areas in our city and to entities in the tourism sector as a whole.
Addis Ababa Know Your Country Clubs Coalition President Berhanu Wadajo said that not only do the residents of our city live confined, but also visit the tourist places of our capital and increase the number of visitors by expanding domestic tourism.
Ethiopia’s tourism industry has faced significant challenges in recent years. Although Ethiopia is home to many cultures, heritage, interesting landscapes and unique historical sites, it is striving to attract international tourists following declining visitor’s numbers.
One of the main obstacles faced by the industry is the lack of good visibility of the country’s image and reputation in the international media. The fact that most media reports on political instability and conflicts in the country can be seen as one reason why visitors do not explore and visit Ethiopia’s beauty and diversity.
Another significant obstacle to the expansion of the tourism sector is the lack of adequate infrastructure. Roads, airports, and suitable transportation networks are lacking in many parts of Ethiopia, making it difficult for tourists to visit isolated sites. The limitations have prevented Ethiopia from taking full advantage of its tourist destinations, providing great potential for its economy and creating jobs opportunities for its citizens.
The COVID-19 pandemic three years ago has also had a negative impact on Ethiopia’s tourism industry. Like many other countries around the world, Ethiopia has faced a decline in the number of international tourists due to travel restrictions, control measures and fear of the virus.
Border closures and the disruption of international flights have severely disrupted the flow of tourists and led to a decline in revenue for businesses operating in the tourism sector.
Ethiopia has been in the midst of all this tourism crisis and celebrated the international Tourism Day with three consecutive events and exhibitions recently under the theme of “Tourism for Arengwade lemat (Green Development) for Tourism” more than a hundred different tourism actors and tourism institutions attended the event to mark Tourism Day, including handicrafts manufacturers and tour companies
Ethiopia is a country with many man-made and natural attractions that can be admired everywhere, from Dallol to Ras Dashen. Ethiopia is the most prominent advocate for the liberation of black people, and it is a symbol of the struggle for the liberation of the black people in the world.
Ethiopia is also home to many amazing attractions, needs to be watched and informed by its citizens in a variety of ways. Ethiopians should visit their country’s natural beauties and unprecedented natural and man-made heritage, as well as the diverse culture, diet, clothing, natural beauties and unprecedented natural and man-made heritage at the peak. But the community has little experience visiting heritage and attractions that reflect its past history and culture. As a result, the average of visitor to the country is less likely to see and know the country’s resources, so they tend to live without knowing the resources of the country.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed once remarked, “A lot of people do not know what exists in the country,” during a visit to Unity Park’s construction site. In addition to providing financial rewards, using one’s personal fortune to support one’s native nation encourages creativity and shows how important it is to know oneself. One of the most important aspects of the project is to ensure that the resources available to the public are utilized. Needless to say, this is the biggest and most important source of revenue for the country’s economy. It is also a means that can create quite a lot of jobs in terms of deployment of manpower,” he said, pointing out that Ethiopians are not aware of their tourism resources in their country and that domestic tourism activity is weak.
The expansion of domestic tourism contributes to the strengthening of local economic activity as well as the development of national unity through the creation of people-to-people ties. Among the reasons why domestic visitors are low are the lack of community visiting experience, lack of attention to visitation, lack of interest and lack of financing are mainly cited.
It is important to understand the impact of the city’s tourism activities on foreign tourists through the domestic tourism strategy. Therefore, it is necessary to work in coordination with sector actors to encourage domestic tourism activity, as well as strengthen and establish visiting clubs. Addis Ababa Culture, Arts and Tourism Bureau is working with different clubs coalition, travel associations and experts in the field to promote the culture of touring in the country.
BY NAOL GIRMA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER 2023
