“Land of Origins” Ethiopia’s Initiative to Strengthen Tourism

Since 2014, the Government of Ethiopia has launched touristic campaigns in order to sponsor Ethiopia as a tourism destination. This year’s official campaign name is “Ethiopia, the Land of Origin”, and it invites the world to discover Ethiopia’s secret beauties.  

Despite Ethiopia’s unique cultural heritage, rich history and remarkable biodiversity, the country generates only 3% of the world tourism. Lack of services combined with insufficient promoting strategies leave Ethiopia only as a business destination, with travelers coming solely to participate in international organizations’ conferences.

However, Ethiopia has to offer a lot more. Exploring the routes to Cristian and pre- Cristian sites, sightseeing holy Islamic monuments, discovering the animist African Cultures of the Omo Valley are only a few of the experiences Ethiopia can offer to the visitors. Numerous museums spread all over the country enlighten Ethiopia’s history from the first humans to walk on the earth until the 1970s.

The government of Ethiopia has implemented a well- organized strategy to maximize the country’s tourism prospective. This year’s promotional logo, “Ethiopia, Land of Origin”, focuses on Ethiopia as the birthplace of Africa and the world. Indeed, in Ethiopia there are the first traces of human civilization, the springs of the Blue Nile and the origin of coffee!

The strategy aims to develop the country’s tourism as a whole, and not only to cast some light on its natural and cultural heritage. Therefore, it includes the improvement of its national infrastructure, such as transport, energy, water and telecommunication system.