Amhara region secures 184 million birr from tourism.

Amhara Secures Over 184 Millions Birr from Tourism
qq, June 17, 2010 (Bahir Dar) Amhara State has secured over 184 million Birr in revenue from tourism over the last 11 months, the State Culture, Tourism and Parks Development Office said

Information Officer with the Office, Abeba Yeshiwas told ENA on Wednesday that the income was obtained from more than 632,000 tourists who visited the attractions existing in state.

The amount secured during the reported period exceeds that of last year same period by five million Birr, Abeba said.

Abeba attributed the rise in the amount of revenue to development of infrastructure, strengthened promotion and the increase in the number of tourist facilities.

She said the income was secured in charges of service from the tourists and sale of souvenirs, among others.

The stated number of tourists had visited the Semien Mountains, the Fasil Castle, monasteries of Tana, the Lalibela Rock-hewn Church, among others.
(c) The Ethiopian News Agency

Tourism is an incredibly big industry worldwide generating just under $1 trillion from 932 million arrivals in 2008 worldwide. Ethiopia’s share of this lucrative pie is less than miniscule, generating only about $157 million in 2008 (or less than two tenths of a percent) although growing at an average rate of about 7% per year for the last 3 years. http://www.horizonethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=403:the-hidden-gem

A review about ethiopia's tourism potential from seattle times .


JENNY BARCHFIELD / AP
If You Go

Ethiopia
More information

Tourism information: tourismethiopia.org.

Unesco World Heritage sites: whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/et


ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — For many people around the world, mentioning Ethiopia brings to mind its devastating 1984 famine. The specter of the disaster haunts the country's international image and still hurts the growth of its fledgling tourism industry.

But here's the reality that awaits those few adventurous visitors who do make the trip: a high plateau of lush, green hills that's more like Scotland than the desert; decadent nightlife in Addis Ababa; and historic sites, such as the island monasteries of Lake Tana and Lalibela, a remarkable complex of 12th-century churches.

In addition, Ethiopia's wildlife parks are teeming with game, but unlike Kenya, where packs of tourists compete for a glimpse of lions, here you might have the animals all to yourself.

Traveling in Ethiopia, however, can be uniquely disorienting. Ethiopians insist on doing things their own way. They have their own calendar — with 13 months; their own year — it's currently 2003; and their own time — 6 a.m. is their midnight.

The national language, Amharic, has Semitic roots, like Arabic and Hebrew, and a unique alphabet. (Rest assured, English is widely spoken.) Roughly two-thirds of the people are Ethiopian Orthodox — a creed with its own rites, different from those of the Russian or Serbian Orthodox churches — while a third is Muslim.

A trip to Ethiopia, then, is less like a sojourn in Africa than a visit to some far-flung island, where everything is strange and compelling.

You'll need a couple of weeks to even begin to do justice to this sprawling country — bordered on the north by Sudan, on the south by Kenya and Somalia and on the east by Djibouti and Eritrea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war.

Roads are generally poor, and it can take long hours or even days to travel several hundred miles overland — particularly in the April-September rainy season. Luckily, Ethiopian Airlines — widely considered Africa's premier carrier — operates flights from the capital, Addis, to the main must-see sites, including Lalibela.

Explore the city

Addis is a sprawling city of congested thoroughfares and hidden residential neighborhoods with narrow streets that dissolve into thick mud every time it rains, and it can seem a dismal place to start an Ethiopian sojourn. But resist the temptation to flee and the city will open to you, revealing scores of cute cafes, hot nightspots and gourmet restaurants.

Top suggestions include Eyoha or Fasika national restaurants, where remarkably athletic dancers showcase the country's unique shoulder-shaking traditional dance styles as diners tuck into heaping plates full of local delicacies.

Ethiopian cuisine, which is heavy on sauces and served on spongy crepe-like bread called injera, leaves no one indifferent. You either love it or you hate it. Love it, and you can eat like a king, splurging on multidish meals of wot, a sauce of goat or lamb, and kifto, marinated raw meat. Made from an Ethiopian grain called tef, injera is eaten at every meal and also serves as cutlery, used to scoop up the juicy sauces.

Addis has the best shopping in the country, with a wide range of regional specialty products and styles. Try the area around Piassa for the heavy silver disc earrings from the northern Tigray region and Persian Gulf-inspired necklaces in oversized beads of silver and resin — all sold by the gram.

Go north

After a few action-packed days in Addis, you'll be ready to hit the road.

Most visitors head north to visit Ethiopia's tourist triumvirate — Bahir Dar, Aksum and Lalibela, the crown jewel. Ethiopian Airlines sells multileg tickets from Addis with stops at each site.

A winding complex of 11 churches cut out of the rust-red granite tucked into a wind-swept moonscape, Lalibela is, frankly, astounding. Legend claims it's the work of angels but in reality the complex was commissioned by the powerful 12th-century King Lalibela and picked out of the rock with hammers and chisels over decades.

The roofs are at ground level, so to reach the churches — clustered in two separate sites — you have to climb down steep stairs cut into the rock and worn smooth by a millennium's worth of bare feet.

Priests swathed in cream-colored robes live inside the cool, dark interiors, lit by sunlight that filters in through cross-shaped windows sliced into the rock walls.

The most impressive church is Bet Giorgis, or Saint George, a towering structure with a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross. The churches are still used — during the Easter period, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the site — so you can't visit them without a guide.

Bahir Dar is perched on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. The once-mighty Blue Nile Falls has been largely choked to a trickle by a dam, but dozens of monasteries and churches dot the lake's islands. Boat tours will take you from island to island, but some sites are off-limits to women.

Aksum, near the sometimes volatile northern border with Eritrea, was the capital of an empire that flourished for centuries beginning in the fifth century B.C. Ruins of what was a major hub on a trade route between the Roman Empire and India dot the outskirts. Towering obelisks and remains of royal tombs and ancient castles are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Elsewhere in the country, east of Addis, is Harar, a mostly Muslim city that was once a hub for trade between East Africa and the Persian Gulf region. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a bustling market and profusion of mosques, most of them small shrines built during the city's heyday in the homes of successful merchants.

Head south of Addis for the country's best safaris, at the Yabelo or Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuaries or the remote Omo National Park. The sprawling park covers some 15,400 square miles.

With all these possibilities north, south and east of the capital, the hardest part may be deciding where to go.

Copyright © 2011 The Seattle Times Company

Ethiopia with its beautiful landscape, historical places, different ethnic groups, natural beauty ,endemic animals and plants and exotic birds should get at least 5 million tourists a year. seems like the problem are the roads are still has ways to go ,there are not enough international standard hotels in the national parks and historical places, and the bad stereotype associating the country to the 1984 famine eventhough the country has nomore that kind of problem.
But the government looks like now giving attention to the industry. Read the next post please.

The hidden gem.




The Hidden Gem
Feature
Written by Melaku Sahlu - Horizon Ethiopia Staff Writer
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 02:14

Tourism is an incredibly big industry worldwide generating just under $1 trillion from 932 million arrivals in 2008 worldwide. Ethiopia’s share of this lucrative pie is less than miniscule, generating only about $157 million in 2008 (or less than two tenths of a percent) although growing at an average rate of about 7% per year for the last 3 years. It is unfortunately yet another case of unfulfilled promise for this nation that seems to have far too many of them. Given the right parameters though, there is no reason why this sector cannot grow tenfold at minimum in the decade ahead and there are some trends that suggest such growth may in fact be in the offing.
the fasil palace in gondar.
http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/GonderRampart.JPG

Why Visit Ethiopia?

TanaMonastery2Ethiopia’s tourism sector was actually a pioneer on the continent and until the Derg’s rise to power, a strong competitor to a current powerhouse on the continent, Kenya. It was an implicit recognition of the attraction Ethiopian destinations held for international visitors and a will to capitalize on this.

inside the ethiopian orthodox church in one of the island of lake tana.

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/TanaMonastery2.JPG

Why is there so much promise for tourism in Ethiopia? Of course nationals of any country are proud of where they’re from and probably inherently believe that there is much about it to love for any who might visit. But it would be no exaggeration to say that Ethiopia has a cornucopia of attractions of many types that are almost unparalleled in the world. Relics of ancient and glorious civilizations such as can be found at Axum, Gonder and Lalibela are part of the attraction. Unique geographical features – highlighted by the East African Rift Valley system that rends the country from northeast to southwest –are a sight to behold in and of themselves and also host a tremendous diversity of plant and animal life. An incredibly rich cultural tapestry that seems to defy categorization awaits the adventurous traveler, in many cases seemingly frozen in a time and place far from the trappings of modern day life. Many tourists who have visited Ethiopia also make much of the fact that the reception they get from a hospitable people is a very big part of what makes their experience so special.

Ethiopia is sometimes referred to as the oldest Christian nation in the world, a fact given credence to by the hundreds of old monasteries that can be found in many parts of the country. But there is also a strong Muslim tradition as well especially in the south of the country where the walled city of Harar occupies the fourth place on Islam’s list of holiest sites. Religious tourism is one of the biggest draws to Ethiopia at the moment with the rock hewn churches of Lalibela being the primary destination for such tourists.

The moon like feature of dalol which is 120 meter under sea level and active volcano activity going on. I can say this place is similar to americas' yellow stone national park.
http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/DallolHotSprings.JPG

For those willing to go off the beaten path, there is also the Afar desert with its astonishing geological sights of the Dalol volcano crater where salt, sulfur and other minerals have combined to produce one of the most intensely colorful naturally occurring sights you’ll ever see. Also in Afar, you can view simmering lava flows casting their fiery glow into the night at Erta Ale (Smoking Mountain). Afar is also where some of mankind’s earliest ancestors are thought to come from. Lucy Afar is the best known of fossil remains found here but the recent find of Ardi (predating Lucy by 1.2 million years) has led anthropologist’s to reconsider man’s earliest forebears.

The Great Rift Valley which dissects Ethiopia from southwest to northeast is responsible for many of the unique geological features seen in Ethiopia and also results in fertile ground for widespread plant and animal diversity. The Ethiopian Highlands form a significant portion of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot for biological diversity, hosting thousands of plant and hundreds of animal species of which a significant number are endemic.

In the south and western areas of the country is the amazing diversity of 56 distinct tribes such as the Konso, Hamer and Mursi that offer a glimpse into the amazing culture and traditions of their members which sometimes live their lives as if it is still centuries ago.

Nechsar national park in south ethiopia.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7563/p1030987y.jpg

But this is no more than scratching the surface for one can probably spend a lifetime exploring all that Ethiopia has to offer for the curious and appreciative mind. So there is no shortage of tourist destinations in Ethiopia where geological events and human evolution stretching back millions of years, thousands of years of civilization and history have left a legacy that is hard to match in depth, breadth and variety of places to visit.

But today, Kenya’s tourism industry attracts many more times the tourist arrivals as Ethiopia does (by almost a factor of 5 in 2007) and earns a similarly greater amount of income from them. It has a well developed infrastructure and has won numerous international prizes for its offerings. But what was true in the 1960’s is still true today, Ethiopia has as many (if not many more) attractions and a greater variety than its southern neighbor to share with tourists. It just hasn’t been able to capitalize on its resources like Kenya has.


The Infrastructure of Tourism

Tourism Statistics




Total Visitors / Income

2006


330,026 / 1,494,812,000

2007


357,841 / 1,987,241,000

2008


383,399 / 1,979,539,000

Visitors by subsector (2008)

Business


49,209

Vacation


99,394

Transit


77,572

Conference


15,721

VFW


25,482

Other**


62,779
** Incl arrivals through ports of entry where detailed data is not collected.

A big part of why Ethiopian tourism has underperformed thus far has been the lack of infrastructure needed to support it. This is not just about the public infrastructure for the industry (roads, electricity, etc.) but also the elements that the private sector can play a big role in expanding including reasonable accommodations and other facilities that many tourists would expect from a destination. But there have been and continue to be many changes in the last decade with public infrastructure (in particular the road transport network) making sizable gains. Ethiopian Airlines’ rapidly expanding network and fleet have put the country within easy reach of many more potential tourists and indeed transit passengers extending their stay to find out a bit more about Ethiopia, is beginning to play a significant role in attracting tourists to Ethiopia.

Private infrastructure has been slower to catch up however, and now remains the biggest gap in terms of fulfilling Ethiopia’s capacity to host ever increasing numbers of visitors. Enough clean, decent hotel rooms in enough locations is one of the biggest need areas and entrepreneurs (both domestic and foreign) are scrambling to fill the need. In Hawassa – a popular weekend destination for visitors from the capital as well as a bird watcher’s paradise – several new hotels have popped up in the last 5 years but that activity will easily be eclipsed within the next year when a raft of newer ones still, open their doors to the public.

Physical facilities are one thing but the trained personnel to man them is another matter altogether. Ethiopians are famously hospitable as a nation but the hospitality sector overall experiences a lot of challenges in trying to meet reasonable expectations from visiting tourists. Ato Negussie Simie, Managing Director of the World Bank supported Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Development program

Restrooms Anyone?


It almost goes without saying that finding passable restrooms or other traveler facilities along the road to any major destinations, is no easy task. In fact, impossible for the most part. But what’s surprising is how often tour operators declare the lack of sanitary rest facilities along popular tourist routes as one of their biggest problem areas. A good example would be the drive from Addis to Bahir Dar where the best toilet facility on the way is probably to be found in one of the larger hotels in Debre Markos. It is unfortunately, a facility that should not pass muster anywhere much less in the largest hotel of the largest town smack in the middle of the road to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ethiopia.

to develop the industry in Ethiopia, refers to this as the ‘software’ of the industry as opposed to the ‘hardware’ such as accommodation facilities which seem to be receiving the bulk of investment in recent years. In addition to coordinating a range of infrastructure, product development and promotional activities around selected destinations as well as providing secondary support to the broader sector, this program is also placing a degree of focus on building up the capacity of public and private sector training institutions that can help fill the gap of well qualified personnel to staff the increasing number of hospitality jobs in the tourism sector.

One area where the private sector is definitely stepping in to fill a gaping void is in the provision of decent transportation options to various parts of the country. Upscale bus services such as SkyBus and Selam Bus can easily transport tourists to Bahir Dar and beyond in reasonable comfort while private, charter air services such as Aberdair, Air Abyssinia and others, can be booked by tour operators (or by well heeled individuals) to provide fast access to even more destinations.

Landcruisers Ahoy!

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/Landcruiser.jpg

LandcruiserHave you noticed the ever increasing numbers of brand new Toyota Landcruisers throughout the city? More often than not, these new SUVs will sport small stickers somewhere on the body of the car the name of a tour operator emblazoned on it. No doubt many of them are after the growing business for tour operators overall but as a side note, they are now also one of the few remaining ways to get an SUV into the country duty free. In fact, the Ministry for Culture and Tourism basically requires that tour operators use new SUVs to transport tourists around the country to avoid previously common stories of broken down cars and stranded passengers all over the country.

The requirements for qualifying to import such vehicles duty free however, are stringent to begin with and also involve ongoing checks to ensure they are in fact being used for the purpose declared.

The aforementioned tour operators are in fact heavily involved with many tourism activities. They offer packaged tours which have the simplicity of letting visitors pay one price to cover inland transportation, lodging, meals and transportation. They are of course quite knowledgeable with respect to the attractions their guests will visit and such guidance is indispensable for such tourists whether they are foreign or simply Ethiopian nationals seeking to learn more about their own rich history and extraordinary country. In 1991, only one bona fide tour operator functioned in the country – the government run NTO (National Tourism Organization). There are now close to 100 such operators nationwide.

Despite forward movement across a number of fronts, there is much more to go yet and the next decade promises opportunity for it in many different ways for the investors that choose engage in the sector right now. But there is also a question that is on the minds of many a prospective investor considering a project in the sector; if they build it, will the visitors come?


Brand Image

One of the biggest tasks in building up Ethiopia’s tourism sector to its fullest potential, is not within the country’s borders but outside of it. Time after time, foreign travel agencies almost universally observe that the vast majority of their clientele does not have a favorable image of Ethiopia as a tourist destination. Yet these same observers cite first time travelers to Ethiopia as being amazed and highly satisfied at their experience visiting the country’s various attractions. It is the classic case of a brand image problem – a great product that is almost universally appreciated by those who have tried it but is not known as such by the vast majority who haven’t.

Marian Wargo of Partner Concepts (implementing partner for Ethiopian Airline’s foray into tourism promotion, Ethiopian Airline’s Journeys) says of Ethiopia, “We like to refer to Ethiopia as a hidden gem. Many people do not know much about the country, but once they visit, they fall in love with it.”

Across both private and public sectors, there is wide recognition that much remains to be done in promoting Ethiopia as a tourism destination to the rest of the world. The EPTSD program also proposes to address this shortcoming although institution wide, this is the primary task for Ato Tesfaye Desalegn of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. He leads the Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department and lists amongst his priority areas as the creation of strong market links to carry out effective promotion in order to boost the country’s competitiveness in the international tourism market. One of the near term elements to help with this task is the planned establishment of a strong partnership between public and private stakeholders at both a regional and national level to more effectively coordinate how to use limited collective resources for greater impact.



Economic Impact

Of particular note to the development of the tourism industry are the ways in which the attendant economic benefits are distributed. The government espouses the so-called pro-poor tourism development track such that more of these benefits can be seen in the lower tiers of the economy. Traditionally, a private sector dominated tourism industry is thought to skew such benefits towards business operators, travel agencies and hotel owners. Thus it is doubly important for stakeholders to institute frameworks that achieve a more equitable distribution. Along the way, such frameworks can also help to create an improved experience for tourists.

Foreign currency earnings are of course a significant way in which tourism can contribute to the economy. As a matter of fact, it is already one of the top earners of foreign exchange behind only the export of coffee and oilseeds although also being stiffly challenged by the burgeoning horticulture export sector. Employment is an all important indicator of economic impact and although tourism tends to create lower paying jobs than sectors such as manufacturing, even these jobs are likely to pay better than other sectors such as agriculture.

Finally, the indirect or spillover effects of a growing tourism industry can help further broaden the developmental impact expected. Tourism spending in Thailand has a multiplier effect of $2 in the general economy for every $1 spent by visitors to that country. The multiplier effect takes into account three types of spending; direct, indirect and induced. The first is self explanatory while the second one refers to the purchases of goods and services by direct (or front line) providers of tourist services (e.g. tour operators, hotels, etc). The last one is a measure of the spending generated by employees and other beneficiaries of the industry. This last measure is one to take particular note of for signs of broad based contribution towards it which would ultimately provide a sizable indicator of how equitably the financial rewards of the industry are being distributed.



Polishing The Hidden Gem

By rights, Ethiopia has the inherent potential to be the top tourist destination in Africa (it is currently the nineteenth). But the ability to capitalize on this potential rests as much on our ability to create optimal experiences around these attractions for visitors which is where there is still a gap that must continue to be addressed at even greater levels by public and private investment in the facilities that can provide for an improved experience. Along the way, improved protection of the treasures which bestow such great potential to Ethiopia’s tourism hopes, should also be made a priority. For the first time, Ethiopia actually has a tourism policy which seeks to define the parameters by which the country’s natural treasures can be leveraged for a broad set of goals. Effective execution of these policy goals along with more robust engagement by the private sector can lead to a much bigger slice of the worldwide tourism pie for Ethiopia in ways that benefit all of the stakeholders involved.

LakeLangano

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/LakeLangano.JPG

Axum tsion orthodox church where the arc of covenant kept.

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/TsionaMariamChurch.JPG

The erta ale active volcano in dallol.

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/article_images/tourism/ErtaAle.jpg

The Afar people are strikingly beautiful......we need to promote our very unique African medieval tourism and history on a horizontal scale by developing more hotels, museums and libraries.

Ql1uJ3qGZWY&feature
^^
Those craters are so low


good read!

Ethiopia has so much tourism potential, its a shame tourism isnt a priority. How many tourists does the country get on average?

Ethiopia has so much tourism potential, its a shame tourism isnt a priority. How many tourists does the country get on average?

i hope this one answer ur question.




Ethiopia wants to attract tourists from China, India


March 17 Posted by: suleyman | 17-03-2010, 11:42 |



By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia hopes to exploit growing business ties with China, India and Turkey to attract middle class visitors from those countries and boost its largely untapped tourism sector.

Ethiopia wants to attract tourists from China, IndiaChina and India have displaced many western countries as the major investors in Africa, including Ethiopia, where they have invested billions of dollars in recent years.

Turkey, with a burgeoning middle class, is negotiating a plan with Ethiopia to set up an industrial zone for Turkish companies near Addis Ababa to export agricultural commodities and leather goods.

"We have a large workforce of Chinese and Indians in Ethiopia now," tourism minister, Mohamoud Dirir, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "These young workers and entrepreneurs will talk to their families about Ethiopia."

Ethiopia has been trying for years to attract foreign visitors to its ancient obelisks and rock-hewn churches, remote areas inhabited by nomadic tribes and desert sites where scientists unearthed evidence of the birth of humanity.

The sector was neglected during the Marxist rule of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mohamoud said, and now accounts for a mere 2.5 percent of the huge Horn of African nation's economy.

Charities say a rise in tourism may lead to exploitation, saying some farmers have already stopped working the land and earn money solely by charging tourists photographing them.

"I don't buy what these agencies say," Mohamoud said. "The communities still work the land and they take the little they earn from tourism to educate their children and improve lives."

FRESH INVESTMENT

The country of about 80 million people -- one of the world's poorest -- managed to protect its tourism earnings during the global downturn, which came in at $204 million in 2009, only marginally lower from the $213 million in 2008.

Some 430,000 tourists visited Ethiopia in 2009 and the government aims at one million visitors in 10 years. Mohamoud did not say how many of those visitors were from the three countries targeted.

"During the financial crisis, tourists who were planning to go to expensive destinations had to look elsewhere," he said, adding that Ethiopia was value for money and a new experience.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines operates 14 flights a week to Beijing and Guangzhou and 12 flights a week to New Delhi and Mumbai. Turkish Airlines operates weekly direct flights between Addis Ababa and Istanbul.

Mohamoud said Ethiopia was seeking investment in tourism from China, India, the Gulf states and wealthy Ethiopians.

"People should invest because we have political peace and stability in Ethiopia, macroeconomic stability and great untapped potential," he said.


Source: Read More @Reuters



Copyright © 2008-2010 NewsDire. All rights reserved.

We still have a long way to in making sure that our tourism infrastructure provides good quality and service. Hotels, motels, museums, historic architecture and transportation facilities need to be properly financed and maintained in order to ensure more tourists.

Travel agency used to promote ethiopia as a tour de force.


The Irish Times - Friday, May 13, 2011
Travel agency used to promote Ethiopia as a tour de force

DEIRDRE McQUILLAN

WILDGEESE: EMIGRANT BUSINESS LEADERS ON OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD: THE HEADQUARTERS of travel company Ethiopian Quadrants in the centre of Addis Ababa buzzes with activity. Inside, staff are organising various tours and land cruisers emblazoned with the company logo are parked outside the door.

Founder Tony Hickey (62) is awaiting a CBS camera crew making a documentary on human evolution. The Irishman has just despatched a party of German tourists who charted a private plane to camp at a remote volcano. A key figure in the country’s tourism industry, he has also been instrumental in the work visit to Lalibela in the highlands for Connect Ethiopia, an Irish business initiative.

“I founded the company in June 2006, but I’d been engaged in other tourism companies,” he explains in his office, sitting under a map of Ethiopia. “At the end of the civil war in 1993 I established a trust tourism company for the party which had just assumed government. During the war, I told them that we needed to restart tourism. I went private after a few years. Now I do all kinds of tours for all kinds of budgets. Most clients are British, American or rich Germans. Birdwatchers post trip reports on the net and many request the same drivers and guides because we have bird experts for serious twitchers. Most of my business is by referral.” Though his father was from Lismore in Waterford and his mother from Limerick, Hickey grew up, one of eight, in London where he did Middle Eastern Studies at the School of African and Oriental Studies.

An accident of fate landed him in Ethiopia. In 1973 aged 24 he bought an old Land Rover and drove to Jeddah en route to Sudan, but couldn’t get a visa, “so I got one for Ethiopia instead and landed in Eritrea”, he says.

For two years he drove tourists around the region and across the border into Kenya. On one of these trips he met his wife, an Ethiopian, who was studying in Nairobi and they left for London for a short time in 1975 to visit Hickey’s dying father. Under the new military dictatorship – the Derg that ousted Emperor Haile Selassie in l974 – travel around Ethiopia for residents had become difficult. The tourist industry, which had flourished up to then, took a dive.

In the 1980s Hickey travelled to Sudan where he met members of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) who were fighting the Derg. “I started to do consultancy work for them in the liberated areas, doing PR explaining the cross-border operations which channelled aid through Sudan to the TPLF’s Relief Society of Tigray,” he says.

When the rebels overthrew the Derg and came to power in 1993, Hickey, fluent in Arabic and Amharic, was chosen to start a travel company.

“Ethiopia is a fantastic place to visit but it has a terrible image issue. At world travel markets, I talk the country up, but aid workers talk it down because they need to keep aid going. And then Live Aid launches the 20th anniversary of the famine. Aid can have its function, but inevitably it is an industry and often interests clash.”

He’s enthusiastic, however, about the Connect Ethiopia initiative in Lalibela run by Irish businessmen in the tourism industry. “The Irish tourism section is very successful and these are people with knowledge to share. The World Bank produces umpteen meetings and umpteen reports, but these [Irish] guys come with straightforward advice about front of house, reception, food etc.

“And a couple of visits to local farms in Lalibela is a school uniform for a year. It’s not aid, it is a common transaction,” he insists.

Hickey lives in the mountains above Addis Ababa with his wife, six dogs “and hyenas passing my door at night”. He plans to come to Ireland this year to visit his last remaining uncle, now 87, who lives in Bray.

Apart from tourism, he sponsors a football team to help disadvantaged youths in Addis and participates in an annual road marathon. Things have got easier in the country in the last few decades, he believes, and more liberalised for investors. “The country is pretty much corruption-free. The government is often criticised, but such criticism, often from countries with flaws in their own democracies, is often misplaced. Ethiopia has had 3,000 years of feudalism, 17 years of Marxist Leninism and now two decades of a democratic system. It takes time – a lot of time – to create a democratic culture and it’s not like turning on a light switch...

“Ethiopia is the fastest growing non-oil economy in Africa and has had double-digit growth in the last six years,” he argues, a supporter of Ethiopia’s latest ambitious – and controversial – project, the building of a big dam on the Sudanese border.

“There is a huge power deficit throughout Africa and our way out of poverty is power. We will be able eventually to export clean power to Djibouti, Kenya and Sudan.”

Deirdre McQuillan’s visit to Ethiopia was assisted by the Simon Cumbers media fund

Tony Hickey

General manager,

Ethiopian Quadrants


© 2011 irishtimes.com

“TOURISM IS AN ASSET TO ETHIOPIA” .

Saturday, 14 May 2011 10:15 administrator ..




.
Peter T.Fujiyama

Peter T.Fujiyama, a Japanese national, is an ex-Ethiopian Airlines employee and now a representative of Japan to the Association of Africa Economy and Development. He was a representative of Ethiopian Airlines in Tokyo for a very long time and has long ties with the country.

At the moment he is promoting Ethiopia’s tourism potential. Haile Mulu of The Reporter spoke to him about the tourism industry and some of his recollections from his days at Ethiopian Airlines. Excerpts:





Can you tell me about your attachment with Ethiopia?

My connection with Ethiopia started when I was a 29-year-old man. I had the opportunity to work as the Ethiopian Airlines representative in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to that I didn‘t know Ethiopia at all. When I started working for the Airline I got the chance to visit the country. It was during the reign of Emperor Haile-Selassie that I came here. I happened to meet the then minister of tourism and culture, Habteselassie Tafesse, and he asked me to get married in Addis Ababa, something I was able to do later on.

So with the help of Habteselasie I had a very good wedding ceremony at the Addis Ababa municipality hall. After one year I got a baby and he named her Addis Alem. My daughter is very proud of her Ethiopian name and she comes to Ethiopia frequently.

What is the purpose of your current visit?

It is to escort a Japanese tour group through historical routes across the country. Ethiopia has a rich asset in tourism. I am also escorting the group to tourism sites in the west and south of the country such as Gambella, Durame and Arbaminch. So I have the chance to promote Ethiopia’s tourist attractions to all Japanese. The country had some unfortunate incident in the past. There were domestic turmoil, famine and drought, things which are very challenging. This is the time for the country to sell its tourism. Stability and peace is important for foreigners to discover Ethiopian tourism. So that is my mission. I am now 67 years old. Though I retired three years ago and I didn’t want to sit back and enjoy my retirement; instead I stood up and determined to work hard to promote Ethiopian tourism.

After retirement I used to work for some Ethiopian travel company in Addis Ababa. I stayed here for one-and-half year. But living in Addis is quite different from a short visit. It was difficult for me to drive in the city and to find my house. In my stay here I have discovered that the young society here in Ethiopia has a hungry spirit. I see constructions, hotels, restaurants, super-markets all around the city. The country is growing. It is just like what I have said before; it is high time for Ethiopia to sell its tourism industry. Getting foreign currency is critical for the development of the country. So I do want to contribute whatever I can to promote Ethiopia. With the help of the Japanese government, we are trying to sell this country. Now I am doing my best to promote Ethiopia to Japanese tourists. Many Japanese do not have any idea about Ethiopia. I am telling these people that Ethiopia is a stable and peaceful country. I am playing the role of promoting Ethiopian tourism by organizing package tours to Ethiopia. I am encouraging Japanese people to visit Ethiopia.

The Japanese market is very different from European or American markets. We used literature and pamphlets to promote tourism. The Japanese people are very quiet. Their mentality is similar to Ethiopians. When they have something to complain they don’t say it directly. They say “eshi” (ok) like Ethiopians. But when these tourists go back to Japan they would complain. For them modesty is a high priority.

How do you see the tourism industry in Ethiopia at present?

I think the government should focus on tourism development. It should promote its tourism in different ways. I have submitted a proposal to the Ethiopian tourism and culture ministry. I have a plan to work with the ministry to start a tourism campaign in the year 2012. The [Addis Ababa] Airport customs office, the Immigration office, Ethiopia Airlines, hotel owners and travel agencies will be involved in this tourism campaign. 2012 is a year for tourism. In this tourism campaign we can provide information about Ethiopia to the rest of the world. Many people in the world have the wrong information about Ethiopia. I hope this campaign will bring about positive change in the tourism industry.

The Japanese people are travelers. Tell us some of the places that the Japanese frequently visit.

Our backyard is Asia, namely South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Australia, but areas in the Pacific like Hawaii and cities on the west coast of the United States like San Francisco and Los Angeles are some of the places that are also frequented by Japanese tourists. More than 1.5 million Japanese visit South Korea annually. Some 1.5 million Japanese also visit Thailand. Egypt is another tourist destiny for us Japanese. Egypt has pyramids and very famous old culture.

What should Ethiopia do if it wants to be a tourist destiny like Egypt?

May be the Ethiopian tourism and culture ministry should open strong branch offices in Japan, USA and Europe. I believe that each embassy is playing its own role to promote Ethiopia, but establishing independent tourism office is important.

How do you describe Ethiopia and its people?

Well, I should say Ethiopia has a big dream. In spite of many difficulties (such as the world wide inflation), the country is doing well. I hope if everybody keeps working harder with the aim of succeeding, things will happen. Ethiopian music is also very similar to Japanese music. Their way of life is also similar. They are modest. They are very honest and sincere. Most of the people of Ethiopia are religious. I think religion has a positive impact on the lives of the people. Ethiopia is different from other African countries. People are safe. The life style and the culture are very unique. If we promote this unique culture people from the rest of the world will be eager to visit this historical country.

There was a Japanese painter who lived in Ethiopia for a long time who happened to be a close friend of yours. Tell us about him.

We had a very famous Japanese painter whose name was Mizuno Humio. In the 1970s he decided to visit Ethiopia when he was 55 years old. Soon after, he left his young children and his wife to move to Ethiopia. He knew that Ethiopia is a beautiful country with a very nice climate. Mizuno was surprised to know that Ethiopia has very beautiful ladies. That is why he painted only ladies. He lived in Ethiopia for 25 years. During the military regime he had a problem with the kebele cadres. Consequently, he left Ethiopia and moved to Kenya. He stayed there for 8 years and passed on. When he was here he used to go to Bati and Kombolcha. He used to say there are many Elizabeth Taylors (the late beautiful Hollywood Actress) in Ethiopia. He promoted Ethiopia in Japan through his paintings. He organized many exhibitions in Japan. He contributed a lot to introduce the other face of Ethiopia.

I have also brought another painter to Ethiopia. His name is Koito. Unlike Mizino, Koito painted only boys. He also painted a picture of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi about 8 years ago. He presented his portray to the prime Minister.

Tell us about the relationship between Japan and Ethiopia during the Emperor Haile-Selassie’s rule?

You may have heard that a woman from the Japanese royal family was about to marry an Ethiopian belonging to the royal family during the Emperor’s time. It was big news for Ethiopia and Japan. But the Italian government was against this idea. Italians did not want Japan to strengthen its relationship with Ethiopia because they were making preparations to invade Ethiopia. So because of their intervention that marriage plan failed.

It is said that the prince and princess of Japan visited Ethiopia during the reign of Haile-Selassie for their honeymoon. Can you tell us anything about it?

Frankly speaking I don’t know why they chose Ethiopia for their honeymoon. But I know for sure that the relationship between these two countries was very strong. Japan opened its embassy in Ethiopia during the Emperor’s time. It was the only Japanese embassy in sub-Saharan Africa. Ethiopia was the number one choice. This relationship has been restored after the EPRDF came to power.

You said that the mentality of Japanese people is similar to Ethiopians’. Can you give us one or two examples?

One of the similarities that always surprises me is the Japanese Inka song. We sing the song with emotion and some modesty. The melody is very similar to Ethiopian music. Both people respect older people. Both people do not express their disappointment straight. Sometimes, when we give a present to somebody we say, “This is a very small present” even though it is a big present. But the Americans say, “This is beautiful present” and when you open it you will be disappointed. In Japan when somebody invites you to eat something you don’t accept the invitation immediately. You are supposed to say ‘ok’ when you are asked to eat for the third or for the fourth time. The same is true in Ethiopia. When I visited America for the first time my relatives who are living there said to me “Peter, please eat this.” I said “no” expecting a second and third request but it never come.

I have heard that you met Prime Minister Meles Here in Addis and Tokyo. How did you meet him?

I had a nice meeting with Prime Minister Meles. I personally respect him very much. He is an intellectual and sincere. I met the Prime Minister for the first time when a Japanese congressman, Antonio Inoki, visited Addis Ababa. This person was a famous boxer. He was the head of the spot party and he was at the same time a lawmaker. So Meles asked him about his profession. I told him he fought with Muhammad Ali. And Meles asked, “Who won?” I responded, “Both of them lost.” Meles again asked, “Why?” We said, “It is the sponsor who won the game.” There was a big laugh. That was the first meeting. After that the prime minister came to TICAD I (Tokyo International Conference of Africa), TICAD II and TICAD III. This conference was held three times in Japan. I was the director of the Ethiopian Association of Japan at that time. This association organized a welcoming party for the prime minister’s delegation. I was also the official interpreter for Prime Minister Meles. When I was interpreting the prime minister’s speech in English into Japanese language he was speaking very quickly. So I asked him to speak slowly. Everybody was surprised by my reaction. They believed that nobody should ask any prime minister to speak slowly. However, contrary to their expectation Meles found me very interesting. He also told me to contact him when I visit Addis Ababa.

http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/english/interview/296-interview/1735-tourism-is-an-asset-to-ethiopia

I enjoyed reading that, the man deserve our full respect. Tourist often complain about the lack of proper hotels in places like Gondar or Axum, this issue has to be solved before we start world-wide tourism campaigns, first impression is everything.

Ministry of culture and tourism to rate tour operators.
The Reporter - English Edition

MOCT TO RATE TOUR OPERATORS

Saturday, 25 June 2011 09:34
By MERGA YONAS

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT) is to finish registering about 231 tour operators by July 7, which is intended to standardize the companies by rating them from grades one to three that are designed to meet the international standards for the country.

The registration of tour operators, which was started early in June, requires operators to fulfill lists of qualifications that could make them first, second or third degree operators.

Early this year, the ministry conducted discussions with the stakeholders regarding the standardization of their service in the tourism sector, Aweke Tenaw public and external relation directorate director with MoCT told The Reporter.

According to Aweke, the tourism sector competition should not be only with the local tour operators but also with those working on the international level as well. It is for this reason that the ministry has created a new approach by taking experiences from Kenya and Tanzania, which will build the quality of tourism sector of the country.

“We have not been registered yet. However, we have received the document from the ministry and we are assessing it,” Seife Ayalew, tour department manager with Greenland Tours and Travel, one of the 231 tour operators in Ethiopia, told The Reporter. “To decide whether the proposal of the ministry is suitable for our operation or not requires a little bit of time,” he added.

In 2010, the ministry collected 250 million dollars from 500,000 tourists. The ministry has plans to raise 504 million dollars from 560,000 tourists at the end of the current fiscal year – July 7.

Ethiopia anticipates $511 million US Dollars from tourism.

Thursday, 27 October 2011 09:36 Meron Tekleberhan

Ethiopia can expect to receive more than 511 million US dollars from the tourism industry this year according to Tesfaye Getahun, Tourism Development and Marketing Coordinator for the Tourism Ministry.

The anticipated revenue will exceed the amount from the last fiscal year by approximately 194 million US dollars said Tesfaye. This revenue is in step with the consistently increasing numbers of tourists to the country every year he added.
The trend in increased tourism has meant that the foreign currency earned from the industry has increased significantly explained Tesfaye. In just the last budget year Ethiopia has earned more than 300 million dollars from the tourism industry.

The number of tourists has grown to just over the half million mark due to infrastructure development around tourist destination within the country according to Tesfaye. The increase in the number of tourists can also be attributed to national peace and security he added.

Ethiopia primarily hosts tourists from England, Canada, America and Germany.

Ethiopia will host an international exhibition of tourism and travel from June 14-18, 2012. The tourism and travel fair will be organized for the purpose of introducing Ethiopian tourist attractions to the international business community.

About 200 foreign companies from 25 countries and 300 local companies are expected to participate in the fair.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency


http://www.2merkato.com/20111027503/ethiopia-anticipates-511-million-from-tourism

^^ 500million$ ??? Unbelievable ... that's huge.

^^ It's nothing for a huge country like Ethiopia, with all it's beauty and heritage, you should be aiming for the 5 billions at least. Besides, half a millions tourists a year? :weird:

Ethiopia should make tourism a priority sector, your country has huuuge potential

^^ It's nothing for a huge country like Ethiopia, with all it's beauty and heritage, you should be aiming for the 5 billions at least. Besides, half a millions tourists a year? :weird:

Ethiopia should make tourism a priority sector, your country has huuuge potential
I agree, but it won't happen before the necceary infrastructre is in place as well as high standard facilities. The country is heading at the right direction though.

^^ It's nothing for a huge country like Ethiopia, with all it's beauty and heritage, you should be aiming for the 5 billions at least. Besides, half a millions tourists a year? :weird:

Ethiopia should make tourism a priority sector, your country has huuuge potential

that is right, in 2010 Egypt earned more than 12 billion from tourists,which is 5% of Egypt economy.

but earned $511m from $300 last year is good progress.

Charisma Ecology to build 13 new Resorts in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Eco Tourism is getting a major boost as seven investors are coming together to build thirteen hotels in places that were previously inaccessible to tourists.

http://www.ethiosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Lake-Abaya.jpg
Lake Abaya, Southern Ethiopia

Charisma Ecology plans to build resorts in pristine wilderness areas that, although spectacular were seen by only few because of their location. Formed five weeks ago, they plan to build first class cultural resorts in 13 different places.

“Ethiopian classical architecture and tribal professionals will take the major role in constructing the resorts mainly located in the southern part of the country. We want to preserve the ancient housing construction styles but these will be first class traditional resorts,” board member, Daniel Damtew explained.

According to the plan, during the first phase about four resorts will be built in less than two years, after that they still plan to expand.

The areas selected for the future resort centres will be previously undiscovered strategic tourist areas. They also want to find places that are reachable by many means of transportation.

“The first 13 resorts will be in recognized tourist destinations but we have a plan to identify new potential tourist areas,” Daniel explained.
Among the exciting recreational activities are fishing and boat rides on the Omo River.

The resort locations include; Tana Lake, at Zege Peninsula, accessible via water and land and the nearest location to historical Tana islands.[/B]
Kosoye Resort, 23Km from Gonder town, a perfect area to view the Semen Mountains, and Omorati Resort where Omo, southern Ethiopia; Abaya Lake, the largest lake in the rift valley that is located around Arbaminch. Abaya Resort facility will include a conference centre, golf club and boat trip to Dilla town. Entoto, the mountain on the northern outskirt of Addis will also have a resort. The resort on Abayata/Shala Lake, which is a popular place for African aquatic birds and hot spring water, Geralta Resort, which is a tourist destination with various rocking churches along the highway from Mekele to Axum, and resorts in Bale and Afar are other selected destinations.

Haileabe Meresa, from Peace Journey in Africa, Awad Mohamed, owner of Adika Tour and Travel, Daniel Damtew, owner of Glory Ethiopia Travel and Tour, Munier Ahmed, owner of Habesha Restaurant, Eng Tadesse Tessema, owner of Holland Car, Alem Mengistu, who manages different hotels and Arkebom Kebede, who owns a travel company have come together to invest 90 million birr in Charisma Ecology.

Daniel, one of the five board members told Capital that the company has plans to include other hotel owners, travel and tour agents. The other founding board members are Awad, Arkebom, Hileabe and Munir.

Source: Capital Ethiopia
http://www.ethiosports.com/2012/01/30/charisma-ecology-to-build-13-resorts-in-ethiopia/

^^ Very good news :cheers:

Tourism income picks up by 111 percent :banana:



Saturday, 25 February 2012 06:06
By HAYAL ALEMAYEHU


MoCT issues new guidelines to tour operators

The tourist flow has been significantly increasing especially over the last three years where the first six month of the current fiscal year has witnessed a major increase both in income and in the number of tourists visiting the country, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The income from tourism has increased by 111 percent to hit over USD 252 million during the first half year.

The tourist flow has picked up by 44 percent with 321,000 tourists visiting the country during the six months.

The average number of days tourists stay here has increased to six days from four.

Apart from the recent accident in Afar [that hurt Ethiopia’s image], the fact that there is more peace and security here compared to other tourist destinations has contributed a lot to the major increase in tourist flow, according to Sisay Teklu, coordinator of Tourism Services Competence Accreditation Directorate with Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

“There are also increasing promotional activities and efforts that promote Ethiopia as a major tourist attraction in major tourist producing destinations such as London, Italy and even Russia,” Sisay said. “In addition to that, new tourist producing destinations such as India and China are emerging showing more interest to come to Ethiopia. For instance, the Culture and Tourism minister of state had last week been in India to foster relationship and bilateral agreement in the tourism sector while the president of Indian tour operators association is here for the same purpose.”

The recent conflict and the instability that followed in major tourist destinations, including Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, has also increased the tourist flow to Ethiopia, according to Sisay.

“The instability in those countries has more significantly helped to boost tourist flow to other East Africa countries like Kenya and South Africa, which have better tourist facilities than us,” the expert said. “All the same, the tourist flow has increased here as well while conference tourism is growing.”

In line with the increasing tourist flow in the country, MoCT has recently issued a guideline that tour operators, tourists and tourist destination communities should follow. The guideline indicates that tour operators, tourists and tourist destination communities must protect the country’s cultural heritages while tour operators and other service providers to tourists must publish the guideline and implement it accordingly.

Tourists visiting the country should inform themselves about the new guideline from the respective Ethiopian embassies or consulates and from tour operators.





http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/News/tourism-income-picks-up-by-111-percent.html

These figures look great 44% tourist flow increase and 111% income increase ..excluding the devaluation still big increases ...the mystery is i am involved in periphery of tourism business and wth good contacts in the north and south and all are complaining about numbers being down. Could be segments of the market but i would have the impression is that since september of last year the figures are down ..but these figures may be discussing an earlier period.

Love to get some feedback from others ?

I believe ethiopia has massive toursism potential but the number of real toursists currently is still small compared to potential and i don't think there is much promotion going on.

Be intrigued to understand how the stats are compiled and if there has been some change of method.