Explore colorful Ethiopia - tourist paradise
Ethiopian Airlines, Embassy woo tourists
KUWAIT: Kuwaitis and expatriates have been urged to explore and tap into the Ethiopia’s natural beauty as the Ethiopian Embassy and Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) unveiled their packages for this year’s summer. Speaking at the ‘Ethiopian Travel and Tourism’ seminar held on Tuesday, the Ambassador, HE Mohamed Gudeta described Ethiopia as a tourist paradise and the land of enchantment. He underlined some of the measures Ethiopia and its national carrier have taken to boost tourism which include hotel arrangements, visaon-arrival for Kuwaitis and some expatriates, and other promotional offers.
“Ethiopian government has removed most constraints relating to visa and customs regulations, which will liberalize and facilitate growth of Ethiopia’s tourism trade. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism is working closely with the regional bureaus, tour operator associations and hotel associations. It has a pivotal role in bringing together the private sector and regulatory authorities, and is eager to work with private investors to position Ethiopia as a top-notch African tourist destination,” the Ambassador said, even as he called on the investors to invest in one of the fast growing economies in Africa.
“Ethiopia has much to offer to the international tourists. It is a land of contrasting natural beauty, ranging from the peaks of the rugged Simien Mountains to the depths of the Danakil Depression, which at more than 400 feet below the sea level is one of the lowest points on earth. Ethiopia’s natural beauty includes a varied abundance of landscapes, including Afro-Alpine highlands that soar to more than 14,000 feet, moors, mountains, deep gorges, the largest cave in Africa (Sof Omar), the Great Rift Valley, tropical forests, white- water rivers, savannahs, giant waterfalls and volcanic hot springs,” the ambassador highlighted.
He pointed out that some of the tourist hotspots and ancient sites include nine world heritage sites, the active volcano of Ertale, monuments of the Axumite Kingdom, the ancient walled city of Harar and the second holy place of Islam etc. “This combination of attractions is rare in a single country and includes a wealth of historical, cultural, archaeological and anthropologi- cal sites, as well as numerous areas rich in wildlife. Ethiopia’s various attractions and mix of people and cultures give it a great potential for anthropological and educational tourism, photo and hunting safaris, bird watching, water sports, desert trekking, mountain hiking, camping and general ecotourism. Another area with great growth potential is conference tourism,” Gudeta emphasized.
In his remarks, the Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines, Ali Mohammed, called on the Kuwaitis and the expatriates to join the queue and fly with an award-winning and one of the few profitable African airlines. He underscored the Airlines’ achievements and its future projections. “Ethiopian Airlines has a strong safety record and a modern fleet. Our offers, services and hospitality are too good to be ignored,” Ali said, adding that the airline now links the country with 60 cities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.