Outstanding natural beauty, dramatic landscapes and ancient culture have given Ethiopia the title of the World’s Best Tourism Destination for 2015.
The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) made the announcement recently, awarding the honour to Ethiopia from a total of 31 nominated countries.
Ethiopia has nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, which were heralded by the commission, attributing to their success.
President of the ECTT Professor Dr. Anton Caragea presented a report titled, Ethiopa: The Perfect Cultural Destination; The Land Chosen by God noting the reasons for awarding Ethiopia the award.
“The excellent preservation of landmarks such as the ruins of the city of Aksum; the heart of ancient Ethiopia, Fasil Ghebbi; the residence of the Ethiopian emperors during the 16th and 17th century, Harar Jugol; the Lalibela holy site encompassing eleven medieval stone carved churches from the 13th century; and the Lower Valley of the Omo also containing fragments pertaining to early humanity development and the fossils of Homo Gracilis,” Dr. Caragea outlined as highlights.
Other attractions included the sacred Islam Sof Omar Cave which is the longest cave in Ethiopia and the longest system of caves in Africa at 15.1 kilometres long; the Paleolithic site of Melka Kunture in the upper Awash Valley and the Konso Cultural Landscape, featuring 55km of stonewalled terraces and fortified settlements.
Pilgrims in front of the Church of St George during the feast of the The Timkat (Coptic Epiphany), rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
Harar is famous for its old town surrounded by ancient walls ‘Harar Jugol’ and has been listed in the World Heritage by UNESCO
Visitors walk past Bete Giyorgis, also called St George’s Church, at the Lalibela holy site
Irish tour operator Tony Hickey who arrived in Ethiopia in 1973 told The Daily Mail how Ethiopia differs from popular destinations Kenya and Tanzania.
‘What Ethiopia offers to tourists, different from Kenya and Tanzania, is history and culture,’ Hickey said.
He reels off names of the rich and famous for whom he has arranged Ethiopia tours, such as U.S. film director Oliver Stone and designers Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, visits which he believes are the result of changing perceptions of Ethiopia.
According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism visitor numbers have increased by 10% over the last 10 years and in 2014 more than 600,00 visitors were reported to have visited Ethiopia with tourism contributing to an estimated 4.5% to the country’s GDP. This generated nearly one million jobs and over US$2 billion dollars in revenue according to the World Bank. Ethiopia aims to boost tourist revenues to US$3 billion in 2015.
The 2014 winner was Zimbabwe, after it became the most sought after destination in Africa.
The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) is a non-profit making organisation with its headquarters in Bucharest. Its members are from 27 European Union Tourism Organisations whose role is to market and promote tourism and investment opportunities outside the European Union in general and to individual countries in particular.
The ECTT is the greatest European and regional tourism organisation representing a market of 800 millions costumers from all around Europe with members and delegations in 27 countries.
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River
Ethiopia has a blossoming fashion industry known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics
UNESCO World Heritage Site Semien National Park
The Nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Ethiopia:
- Aksum (1980)
- Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region (1979)
- Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town (2006)
- Konso Cultural Landscape (2011)
- Lower Valley of the Awash (1980)
- Lower Valley of the Omo (1980)
- Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (1978)
- Tiya (1980)
- Simien National Park (1978)
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