Ethiopia holds virtual tourism promotion event in Belgium

Addis Ababa, March 4, 2021 (FBC) -Ethiopian embassy in Brussels and Ethiopian Airlines’ Benelux Area office co-organized a virtual event today titled “Ethiopian’s Tourism Potentials: Promoting Ethiopia as a Preferred Destination for Tourists”.

The event was aimed to promote Ethiopian tourism to the tour operators based in Belgium and Luxembourg, connect Ethiopian tour operators with Belgian and Luxembourger counterparts, and create a platform for discussions on the prospects and challenges of the sector.

At the opening of the occasion,  Sileshi Girma, CEO of Tourism Ethiopia – a federal government office in charge of tourism promotion, stated that Europe, along with the United States and Asia, is one of Ethiopia’s main sources of tourists.

Specifically, with over 80% of its population having a culture of spending their holiday seasons outside of the country, Belgium remains an important source of tourists to Ethiopia, he added.

The CEO also declared Ethiopia’s readiness to receive tourists with the necessary COVID conscious protocol at the airport, destination sites, and lodging.

The occasion further encompassed presentations about Ethiopia’s tourism potentials made by Weldegebrial Berhe, Director of Tourism Destination Marketing, followed by presentations made by the tour operators from both sides- Ethiopia and Belgium.

Ilse Dehandschutter, Sales Manager at Benelux Area Office of Ethiopian Airlines also presented the attractive offers and services provided to tourists from fly Ethiopian, the largest Airline in Africa.

Following the presentations, important points such as the cost of travel, accommodation & local transportation, the COVID-19 situation, and security issues were raised and discussed accordingly.

Making a concluding remark, Francois Dumont, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Ethiopia highlighted the importance of tourism for people-to-people relations, besides its economic importance.

He also recommended Belgian tourists to visit Ethiopia not only for the coffee, but also for the beautiful nature, culture, history, and welcoming people of the people.