Stakeholders Say New Tourist Attraction Sites Showcase Commitment of Gov't to Dev't of Tourism

Addis Ababa September 25/2020(ENA) The development of new tourist attractions showcases Ethiopia’s commitment to expand tourism in the country, stakeholders of the sector noted. 

Tourism Ethiopia Director-General, Sileshi Girma told ENA that there were interests to develop the tourism sector in the past. But not much has been realized.

“Now the government has shown its commitment in deeds by developing attractive new tourism destinations. The exemplary projects like Unity Park, Sheger and Entoto parks are added to the list of attractions,” he said.

According to him, these projects will play important role in promoting domestic and international tourists.

The other planned projects at Gorgora, Wonchi and Koysha are icons as well as great opportunity to transform the tourism sector by increasing flow of tourists, Sileshi noted.

The projects will also contribute to image building, and encourage public-private partnership to invest in “grand projects that will have capacity to accommodate many tourists.”

The director-general urged the regional states to develop other sites in collaboration with  the private sector by taking the best practices and achievements made by the federal government in the tourism sector.

Catering and Tourism Training Institute Deputy Director, Gezahegn Abate said on his part “the ongoing modern projects will significantly contribute to diversify the tourism sector in Ethiopia. If the tourism sector diversifies it will help to attract a huge number of tourists and transform the country’s economy.”

The development of such projects will also play immense role in benefiting the surrounding community by creating jobs, he underscored.

Great Ethiopia Tour Operators Association President, Nahom Admasu expressed his gratitude to the initiatives of PM Abiy in developing new tourism destinations that stimulate domestic and international tourists.  

“The development of such projects will have significant importance for us. Inadequate accommodations have been discouraging tourists as they had to drive long distance from the tourist sites. Now, these projects will provide up to standard accommodations for our guests,” he stated.

Furthermore, Nahom noted that the projects will create opportunities that enhance the involvement of investors and improve the country’s tourism sector competitiveness by providing effective service.

Currently, the Government of Ethiopia is working aggressively in developing new tourism attraction sites by taking various initiatives to advance the tourism sector and enhance its contribution to economic growth.