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Endegena Desalegn, acting communication director of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT), has clarified the general activities that have been implemented to stimulate the tourism sector. Of all the major economic sectors, tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the spread of the coronavirus in Ethiopia and also around the world.
Noting that hotels, tour operators and transportation service providers have been the most affected by the pandemic, he mentioned that the government has been taking the necessary measures to minimize the impact of the coronavirus.
MoCT, Tourism Ethiopia, as well as other hotel and travel operator associations, have worked to minimize the impact of the pandemic and reduce the burden on heavily affected areas.
In addition to this, preparations have also been made to help Hotels withstand the impact of the pandemic and get their business up and running in no time while maintaining the necessary precautions. To this end, recovery strategies have been designed to reopen the tourism sector.
The development and preparation of a short and long-term strategic plan to recover the sector from the pandemic was one of the activities carried out so far. While the short-term strategy covers how to promote Ethiopia’s tourist destination online using the internet during the state of emergency, the term was further emphasized on how this smoke-free industry will be motivated during the post-crown period.
Consequently, the government has carried out massive works to support the sector. As an illustration, the government sighed to pay its taxes. Consequently, the government has canceled its tax debit and penalties before 2014, while it made a tax discount of 10 percent from 2014 to 2018.
Similarly, the government has provided tourism actors with opportunities that help them access credit from banks with a low interest rate, despite some performance constraints. The government has provided 3.3 billion Birr credit to the Association of Hotel and Tour Operators over the past six months. And the associations requested to obtain 6.600 million of Birr in a year, indicated.
In addition, the Ministry, in collaboration with different associations and volunteer individuals, has donated tourism actors that were under economic pressure during the pandemic. Consequently, it has provided clothing, food and other materials, he said.
As for him, MoCT is also carrying out preliminary work to open the sector to foreign visitors after the Ethiopian government has lifted the state of emergency since early September. The establishment of tourist guidelines and protocol is one of the activities carried out by the Ministry. This governing protocol helps regulate the activities of the tourist and tour guide when visiting hotels and tourist destinations.
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Apart from this, the ministry has discussed a series of ideas with tour guides and hotel owners in order to raise awareness about the preventive mechanisms of COVID-19. According to him, the proper use of the face mask, the application of social distancing, and the proper use of hotel materials are among the issues raised during the discussion.
Tourist destination areas are also being prepared for tourists. Disinfection of tourist destinations and disinfection materials has been carried out and tour operators and staff members also receive relevant training in that line.
In addition, the construction and complementation of infrastructures around tourist destinations has been carried out in collaboration with the regional administrations. However, it is difficult to meet the infrastructure of all destinations at once. Therefore, we are working to reopen the sector through the realization of rest activities by creating a suitable environment for tourists in line with the application and adoption of standards to protect the pandemic, he said.
Apart from the old tourist destination, the new destinations like; Entoto Park, Addis Ababa River Side Project and Unity Park are also ready to be visited by tourists. Tour guides are highly responsible for building the country’s image by applying the standards as tourists make their long journey with them, he noted. And the government will also provide continuous support and follow-up to properly implement the new tourism protocol and standards, he said.
