KAMPALA – A section of stakeholders in the tourism sector of Uganda and Ethiopia have urged tour operators in the two countries to promote their tourist attraction sites as a single destination.
The plea was made during a tourism workshop that was organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Uganda in collaboration with the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) on June 10, 2022 under a theme dubbed ‘Ethiopia: Land of Origins -Your Next Tour Destination’.
The workshop involved a number of activities such as a presentation and discussion on tourism destinations and opportunities in the sector, tasting of Ethiopian cuisines and coffee as well as a photo viewing of some of the photo collection from Ethiopia.
In an interview with this website, Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Alemtsehay Meseret underscored that the workshop has an objective to create a working relationship between the tour operators and other stakeholders in the tourism sector for both countries.
She explained this will be done through experience sharing, networking, and exploring complementary tourism destinations.
H.E Meseret also highlighted the tourism potential that exists in Ethiopia and the government’s effort to develop more sites, especially in the capital city Addis Ababa, where the African Union and UNECA headquarters.
The ambassador noted that East Africa has a huge tourism potential that could be complemented and put together in a joint tourism package and she urged Ethiopian and Ugandan tour operators to join hands in order to promote their tourism assets.
In her remark, Mrs. Yewagnesh Biriggwa, the board member of the Uganda Tourism Board shared that the African continent has immense tourism potential that needs to be tapped by promoting inter-Africa tourism and travels.
She called on Ugandan tour operators to promote Ethiopian tourist attraction sites, and at the same time Ethiopian tour operators to promote the Pearl of Africa – Uganda.
In a zoom presentation, Mr. Sisay Getachew, a senior tourism expert from the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia, shared the reasons why Ethiopia is the land of origins and further introduced the mesmerizing Ethiopian tourism destinations that could be packaged by Ugandan tour operators.
He also explained that the land of origins national tourism brand emanated from the spirit of originality through being the origin of mankind, the origin of coffee and source of the only African Alphabet, and the source of African inspiration for independence, among others.
Getachew, urged tour operators of Uganda and Ethiopia to build a business relationship and promote the region as a single destination such that they can exploit tourism as a tool for regional integration.
In his closing remarks, H.E. Mr. Seleshi Girma, the State Minister at the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia, committed to transform the tourism sector in Ethiopia such as easing the tourist visa process, connecting Ethiopia with Africa and beyond through Ethiopian Airlines efficiently, reopening the closed tourist destinations as well as the newly developed and the upcoming high-class tourist destinations in the country.
