ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia's Great Eco-Tourism Potential Disclosed

A study made on Ethiopia's eco-tourism by a researcher Ato Mihiret Ewnetu disclosed on Friday (August 14) that "Ethiopia has the potential to earn more than 20 billion birr ($1bln) annually from eco-tourism."

Given Ethiopia is home to at least 16 types of endemic bird species in addition to other resources as well as old tourist attractions, the revenue its earns is low as a result of lack of sufficient promotional works, said Ato Mihiret. He also said that "In countries such as Morocco and South Africa that earn huge revenue from tourism, 10 percent of the income is obtained from eco-tourism."

On the same day, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority indicated that Ethiopia "with diverse tourist attractions earns only 60 million birr ($3mln) annually from eco-tourism but with better services, that can be boosted to up to one billion dollars annually." It is also stated that the number of tourists visiting Ethiopia has recently climbed up to over 1 million annually, adding that other activities are being conducted to attain the 5 year Growth and Transformation Plan 2, that is, increasing the figure to over 6 million within the next five years.