Dorine Reinstein
The tide is turning for Ethiopia’s tourism industry,
as the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently announced it aims to triple
the number of foreign visitors, to more than 2.5 million, by 2020, with an
ultimate goal of making Ethiopia one of Africa's top five tourist destinations
by 2020.
To achieve that goal, Ethiopia has given the nod of
approval to an ambitious five-year tourism marketing plan and strategy,
developed by The Journey, a tourism consulting and marketing company.
To travelers, Ethiopia is perhaps best known for the Omo Valley, in
the south of the country, where visitors can encounter a number of
extraordinary tribes. Cultural experiences abound as the tribe’s traditions,
songs and dances are still as vivid as they have been for hundreds of years; the
valley is as close as anyone can come to “untouched” Africa.
In the north, Ethiopia’s historical route takes visitors from the
current capital of Addis Ababa to the former capitals of the Gonderite and
Axumite Empires as well as to the sacred city of Lalibela and the rock churches
of Tigray. Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the Lasta area of Wello, is home
to 11 Ethiopian Orthodox churches that were built in the 13th century on the
orders of King Lalibela, not from the ground up but chiseled out of the
town's red volcanic rock hills.
“So far, Ethiopia has not really promoted its tourism
very aggressively,” said Mike Fabricius, tourism strategist at The Journey. He explains
that this is about to change as Ethiopia is poised for rapid tourism growth,
thanks in part to the development of Ethiopian Airlines as one of the fastest-growing
airlines on the continent and Addis Ababa as an aviation hub.
During the coming year, Ethiopia will roll out an
international marketing campaign, which will focus on the traditional target
markets, including the U.S. This marketing campaign will address common
misconceptions, such as the fact that Ethiopia is a dry and arid country and
that it is unsafe.
Fabricius explains that these misconceptions are already
fading fast and that people are starting to see that Ethiopia is a lush and
green country with fantastic scenery. He adds: “The country is scenically
diverse, and it is safe and stable. The people are amazing and hospitable.”
Engagement with travel agents will be a focal point
for Ethiopia, according to Fabricius, and fam trips are in the pipeline. He
says: “An important part of the marketing plan is to educate the travel trade.
There is major scope for Ethiopia to get more operators and agents to
understand and know the destination.”
Dave Herbert, CEO of Great Safaris, explains that
Ethiopia is indeed not a destination that Great Safaris currently markets, except
for stopovers en route to other destinations. “In our experience, there is
little demand from American luxury travelers for Ethiopia,” he said.
Fabricius explains this lack of interest is linked to
a lack of knowledge. “Very few people understand the diversity that Ethiopia is
offering. Once the travel trade becomes more knowledgeable, they can better
inform the consumer,” he said.
Ethiopia also plans to develop new travel routes and
circuits, which will help spread tourism to the lesser-known parts of the
country. “It’s a very big country, so it’s quite difficult to just hop around,”
Fabricius said. “You need to plan your journey. The main southern and northern
route are already on the program, but now the country will also be developing
circuits that branch off the main spine routes.”
Ethiopia will invest in the development of visitor
information infrastructure throughout the country to help visitors find their
way through Ethiopia. A new app is also in the cards, which will enable
visitors to get information quickly and easily on their phones.
Investment in the country’s infrastructure is
definitely a necessary step if the country wants to be a consistent competitor
for the “Western tourist,” according to Michael King, co-president of Great
Getaways Travel, a Virtuoso agency. He says: “The country still needs more widespread
infrastructure; better security measures, especially given who a couple of
their neighbors are; more upscale camps in and around the parks; and a curriculum
for guides and those wanting to be guides with some type of national
recognition (guide quality is still too haphazard). In short: consistent
product and delivery across the country is needed.”
Not everyone is happy about Ethiopia’s resolve to
massively increase tourism numbers. Tour operators in Ethiopia have warned that
an increase in tourism numbers could potentially impact on the beauty of this
pristine destination.
Betty Jo Curry, founder and CEO of Currie & Co, a
Virtuoso agency, has her doubts about increasing tourism to Ethiopia, saying
she would hate the destination to become too popular and “kill what makes it
special.” She says: “Approach it like
Bhutan and Botswana. Keep tourism small and limited to protect the cultures and
tribes.”
However, Fabricius explains that sustainability is a
key priority for everyone involved in the development of Ethiopia’s tourism.
“The government will need to keep an eye on tourism numbers as well as manage
the relationship between tourists and the local population, especially when it
comes to popular sites such as Lalibela which is a place of worship for the
local community.”
The development of the country needs to be properly
landscaped so that the tourism numbers don’t impact on the value and sustainability
of the destination. This could mean that the country needs to look at
introducing entry numbers for example, says Dr. Fabricius. He adds however,
that Ethiopia is not at that point yet. “Ethiopia is a very big country and can
take large numbers, but the idea is not to blindly chase numbers. It will be a
challenge and Ethiopia will have to focus on this.”