ADDIS ABABA – Addis Ababa Culture, Art and Tourism Bureau said that it has partnered with Tourism Ethiopia to launch Addis Ababa’s first-ever tourism brand in the coming three months in a view to enhancing the promotion of tourism opportunities in the metropolis.
Bureau Deputy Head Wachamo Peteros stated that the limited promotion of Addis Ababa’s tourism opportunities has remained a factor for the unsatisfactory revenue that is obtained from the sector.
“Tourism is a complex sector and it requires skilled human power and intensive promotion of tourism potentials and the new brand is expected to raise the status of Addis Ababa among global visitors.” To this end, religious institutions, meter taxi associations, tour operators, hotel owners and other tourism stakeholders need to play a pivotal role in promoting the city’s tourist attraction sites.
Meanwhile, brand is learning and holding the past history, knowing the present and driving the next activities that what the sector is expected to achieve or aspired, Wachamo added.
Woldgebriel Bereh, Tourism Marketing Director at Tourism Ethiopia (TE) said on his part said that the main aims of the new brand are increasing numbers of tourist flow, penetrating to world tourism market, enhancing competitiveness, and ensure holistic advantages of city’s resident.
He admitted challenges lack of tourism brand has created in follow of tourist has created to the metropolis despite the fact that Addis Ababa is the home of the AU, UNECA and other international continental, regional institutions.
According to the Director, lack of serious attention towards for brand, is a main factor the city has remained too long with a unique tourism brand. However, this it does not mean that the country has no history of tourism brand and it used the brand at national level since the late 1960s.
He indicated that creating brand could by generate the expected result by itself, rather effective communication, promotion, improvement of the tourism value chain and integrating local communities in the tourism sector development are crucial.
“TE also working with state culture, art and tourism bureaus so as to create tourism brands for each towns and cities across the nation, it was learnt.