In 2018, the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted Ethiopia to have one of the largest tourism increases over the following year. So far, that prediction has proven to be true.
With a more than 48.5% increase over 2017, 2019 has brought even more travelers to the African nation, mostly due to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed winning the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year. He was selected for the award due to his work in re-establishing good relations with neighboring Eritrea, a former part of Ethiopia.
Desale Mitiku Asfaw, CEO of Grand Holidays Ethiopia said, “The Nobel Peace Prize is already drawing even more interest in Ethiopia. Grand Holidays Ethiopia is very busy fulfilling the demand from all corners of the globe.”
The country, whose tourism slogan is “The Land of Origins,” is said to be the place where the first existence of humanity was found.
In the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, two skeletal remains of Ardi pr Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4.4 million-year-old female, is in the display case adjacent to Lucy or Australopithecus afarensis, a 3.2 million-year-old female, which had been the oldest skeleton ever found until 2009.
“Being able to see Lucy and Ardi at the Ethiopian National Museum and visiting the dig site near Hadar are extremely popular elements in our tours,” Asfaw said. “We are very excited that a new discovery this past August of a 3.8 million-year-old skull from the same region will give further proof on when humans first walked the earth.”
Other things to check out while visiting include native tribes in the Omo region, Simien Mountains National Park and its native baboons, and the amazing food and music.
Have you considered adding Ethiopia to your travel list?
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