“6% of Irelands GDP comes from Tourism, as more than 8 million visitors came to our Country last year. In Ethiopia, A Country with almost 20 times the Population, somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 Tourist visited last year. We are very good at Tourism marketing in Ireland. We think it’s not beyond the capacity of the Tourism Industry here to help the Ethiopian Tourist Industry to exand to perhaps double the number visiting initially.”

The natural beauty of Ethiopia amazes the first-time visitor. Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains (some 25 are over 4000 meters high) broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique Rift Valley is a remarkable region of volcanic lake, with their famous collections of bird life, great escarpments and stunning vistas. Tisisat, the blue Nile falls, must rank as one of the greatest natural spectacles in Africa today

Ancient and unique, Ethiopia undoubtedly has the most remarkable history in the world. Near Lake Turkana and the Awash-river fossils of bones were found dating back 4 million years. With the many findings slowly but certainly a line becomes clear about man’s evolution.

Both Tourism Ireland and the Ethiopian Tourism and Culture Commission have agreed to develop the tourism link to help it develop its tourist industry

An Ethiopian delegation is being organized to visit Ireland. A strategy and objectives are being agreed and developed. Meetings are being coordinated and set up.

Watch Kathryn Thomas in RTE’s No Frontiers as she explores Ethiopia, ‘Africa’s best kept secret’, while meeting some of the friendliest people in the world and finding some of the worlds best coffee. Please click here

Developments from the latest trip

Connect Ethiopia’s Philip Lee and Brody Sweeney held meetings in Addis Abbaba with Ethiopian Airlines and the Minister for Tourism. The following initiatives were explored: