Ethiopia
Tourism in Ethiopia
Mission
To study, preserve, develop and promote the cultural wealth and the national tourism attractions of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia and to build the positive images of Ethiopia with a view to adding a sustainable socio-economic and political values with popular and stakeholder’s participation.
Vision
To make Ethiopia one of the top five tourist destinations of Africa in 2020 through the development of its cultural wealth and natural attraction
Values
Respect diversity
Transparency
Commitment to change
Hospitality
Accountability
Excellent Service
Participations
Message from the Minister
H.E Dr. Hirut Kassaw
Ministry of Culture and Tourism
At the outset allow me to earnestly express my gratitude for your interest to visit Ethiopia and invest in the sector of culture and tourism. It is our hope that this website would meet your satisfactions and expectations.
In Ethiopia, nature, culture and history merge to form a timeless appeal. Ethiopia, with its impressive tourism potentials, is truly a land of contrasts and extremes, a land of remote and wild places, and of spectacular alpine terrain - including the Semien Mountains National Park with its 4261 meters peak at Ras Dashen one of the nine UNESCO world heritage sites; and at the other end of the spectrum, the Danakil depression 121 meters below sea level is among the lowest places on earth and extremely hot. The latter depicts a fascinating sulphur fumaroles and a lunar like landscape.
Ethiopia World Heritage
Festivals and Events and Other Heritages
Ethiopian Festivals
Ethiopia has a number of festivals throughout the year starting with spring (Tsedey), the time of Ethiopian New Year, which falls on September 11 or (Meskerem 1). Some of them are listed on next pages
The Father Of Ethiopian Tourism: Hapteselassie Tafesse (1927-2017)
The man known as the father of Ethiopia’s tourism, Habteselassie Tafesse, died on Wednesday, August 9th. Known to have coined the phrase “13 months of Sunshine”, he was instrumental in helping make Ethiopia a tourist destination, rather than the face of poverty to the world.
A gifted communicator, an orator, he was an advocate for the transformation of the country as a unique nation, one that can market its culture and bring resources to its coffers. The 90-year-old was born in 1927 in Addis Ababa to a career diplomat – Tafesse.
He lived his formative years abroad in major international cities, giving him world exposure in earnest and the ability to speak eight languages eloquently. However, mastering the Amharic language became a lifelong struggle for him. He graduated from Teferi Mekonnen and went on and eventually graduated from Ohio’s Oberlin College Government and Public Relations.
His first voyage to public service was as the head of press affairs with Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry. He became a natural fit becoming the hub for international journalists and foreigners with the Ethiopian government
