Ethiopia: Addis Remaking Stimulates Tourist Influx

Esseye MENGISTE

The ongoing corridor project and other redevelopment activities will have great contribution to stimulate and accelerate the tourism influx to the metropolis, the Addis Ababa Culture and Tourism Bureau said.

The Bureau Head Hirut Kassaw (PhD) told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the redevelopment work will help Addis Ababa to fulfill international tourism criteria and make it a preferred destination for global visitors. "Upon completion, the renovation activities that have been carried out across the city will have a great contribution to the tourism industry."

Hirut (PhD) also stated that the installation of modern street lights and pedestrians' roads would enable tourists to enjoy the city's beauty and make their stay in the capital comfortable and memorable.

Noting 8.2 million domestic tourists visited different attraction sites in the capital in the last nine months of the current fiscal year, she indicated some 49.5 billion Birr has been channeled to the economy from the tourism revenue.

“Currently, the tourism activity in Addis Ababa is at a good level and the new projects that have been built across the metropolis have greatly contributed to increase the number of tourists. The 8.2 million domestic tourists that visited the city’s different attraction sites in the reported period is exceeding from our initial projection.”

According to her, Addis Ababa is a city with high domestic tourist activity and the inauguration of Adwa Victory Memorial Museum number has played a noble role in increasing the number of visitors.

Apart from being the seat of the African Union (AU), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA ) and other diplomatic institutions, foreign tourists from Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and various foreign countries come to the capital for medical and business purposes.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, some 29.9 billion Birr has secured from 465, 366 foreign tourists visited Addis Ababa and the revenue channeled to public investment.

Addis Ababa is growing in popularity with huge projects and all the new attractions in the city are convenient and interesting for foreign and domestic tourists, the bureau head remarked.