nazret.com

Ethiopian Airlines loses to South African at World Travel Awards

Ethiopian Airlines, which was one of the six nominees for the World Travel Awards as Africa Leading Airline, has lost the award to South African Airways. Ethiopian was nominated along with Air Nambia, Egypt Air, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc and South African Airways.

In other awards, Sheraton Addis was (not surprisingly) voted as Ethiopia's leading hotel. The nominees were Hilton, Harmony and Sheraton. The surprise was Sheraton Addis was not even nominated among Africa's leading hotels.

The World Travel Awards was announced on July 7 in South Africa. The winners were selected with the help of thousands of industry professionals worldwide who have been voting online.

You can see full list at WorldTravelAwards.com

Addis Ababa faces new competition from Kigali in convention tourism

nazret.com - Addis Ababa will soon face a new competition from Kigali, Rwanda in attracting to host major conferences in Africa. New international-class hotels are springing up all around the capital; just this week, Marriott announced that it would join Serena Hotels (which took over the Intercontinental) and Radisson by rolling out a new hotel in Kigali in 2012. Part of the draw for these top hospitality brands is the new Kigali International Convention Center, also slated to open in 2012, writes Josh Ruxin in Forbes.

Ethiopia's capital, which prides itself as the Africa's capital, has also seen a boom in new hotel constructions. By the end of the year, Raddison, Ibis and Novotel are expected to open hotels in Addis. Addis Ababa has the advantage of being home to the African Union Headquarter and the Economic Commission for Africa.

Ethiopia - Ghion up for royalty

By Groum Abate

Ethiopia's Ghion Hotel is going back to the royal family after the family of Haile Selassie I started negotiating for its acquisition.

Sons of Prince Mekonnen, favourite son of the emperor, have been negotiating with the Privatization and Public Enterprises Supervisory Agency (PPESA). The venue in central Addis Ababa became a hotel in 1951 to host guests that were expected to come to attend the establishment of the Organization of African Union (OAU).

Apart from Ghion, Meskal Flower and Ethiopia Hotel were also refurbished for guests that were expected to flock to the country for the event.
A German-based company named Dinkanesh is negotiating the acquisition of Ghion Hotel, which is expected to be concluded by next week.

Ghion has been a focus for many high profile business people and companies for the last couple of years after the government invited interested parties to a joint venture in the hotel.

Read More from Capital ...

World Cup to be used to promote Ethiopia

By Binyam Tamene

Capital

When the largest sporting event in the world’s history comes to Africa for the first time, the tournament should leave a lasting legacy, not only for the hosting nation, South Africa, but also for the whole continent. With this in mind, a new project, launched at the beginning of this year, seeks to promote Ethiopia’s tourism potential during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The event begins in less than two months’ time and the organisers of the project say it is a chance not to be missed.

“Our country promoters have gone to so many countries in search of tourists and promoted Ethiopia’s historical and other attractions,” says Girmay Gebremedhin, the Director of Vision Tone, Capital Development Ltd.
“Now we have the opportunity to reach all the tourists expected to come from all over the world to one place, South Africa.”

He said the event would offer the opportunity for Ethiopia to show off its tourism potential to visitors from across the world.

The latest estimate has shown that South Africa will have between 350,000 and half a million people coming to South Africa during the event, along with tourists that visit the country in a regular year. Besides, an estimated 26 billion people will watch the World Cup on television. Other African countries, like Egypt and Nigeria, have already started the same kind of project, run at a government level.

Girmay, whose company Askalukan Trading is among those running the project, describes it as a “life time experience”.

Vision Tone has made various preparations at regional and federal level to promote Ethiopia. Trade fairs, fashion shows, cultural performances, and music will be part of a promotional campaign.

Before going to South Africa, the team will showcase the program to Ethiopian audiences.
Besides, Vision Tone has prepared over 150,000 copies of magazines and documentary films to be distributed and shown during the promotional work to be carried out from June 11 to July 11.

The organisers said efforts are underway to provide tangible information on investment opportunities to attract foreign investment.
“This will be carried out through various mechanisms to be set up in South Africa,” added Girmay.

The project was launched at the National Palace three months ago in collaboration with ‘Ye Ethiopia Hidassie Mahiber” (The Ethiopian Renaissance Association) and Vision Tone.
At the event, President Girma Woldegiorgis said Ethiopia’s tourism potential, friendly investment environment and development activities should be promoted at all possible opportunities.

To assist this, the South African Government has granted 10,000 visas, concluded Girmay.

Ethiopia wants to attract tourists from China, India

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia hopes to exploit growing business ties with China, India and Turkey to attract middle class visitors from those countries and boost its largely untapped tourism sector.

China and India have displaced many western countries as the major investors in Africa, including Ethiopia, where they have invested billions of dollars in recent years.

Turkey, with a burgeoning middle class, is negotiating a plan with Ethiopia to set up an industrial zone for Turkish companies near Addis Ababa to export agricultural commodities and leather goods.

"We have a large workforce of Chinese and Indians in Ethiopia now," tourism minister, Mohamoud Dirir, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "These young workers and entrepreneurs will talk to their families about Ethiopia."

Ethiopia has been trying for years to attract foreign visitors to its ancient obelisks and rock-hewn churches, remote areas inhabited by nomadic tribes and desert sites where scientists unearthed evidence of the birth of humanity.

The sector was neglected during the Marxist rule of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mohamoud said, and now accounts for a mere 2.5 percent of the huge Horn of African nation's economy.

Charities say a rise in tourism may lead to exploitation, saying some farmers have already stopped working the land and earn money solely by charging tourists photographing them.

"I don't buy what these agencies say," Mohamoud said. "The communities still work the land and they take the little they earn from tourism to educate their children and improve lives."

FRESH INVESTMENT

The country of about 80 million people -- one of the world's poorest -- managed to protect its tourism earnings during the global downturn, which came in at $204 million in 2009, only marginally lower from the $213 million in 2008.

Some 430,000 tourists visited Ethiopia in 2009 and the government aims at one million visitors in 10 years. Mohamoud did not say how many of those visitors were from the three countries targeted.

"During the financial crisis, tourists who were planning to go to expensive destinations had to look elsewhere," he said, adding that Ethiopia was value for money and a new experience.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines operates 14 flights a week to Beijing and Guangzhou and 12 flights a week to New Delhi and Mumbai. Turkish Airlines operates weekly direct flights between Addis Ababa and Istanbul.

Mohamoud said Ethiopia was seeking investment in tourism from China, India, the Gulf states and wealthy Ethiopians.

"People should invest because we have political peace and stability in Ethiopia, macroeconomic stability and great untapped potential," he said.