Ethiopian Airlines has in a bid to promoting Ethiopia’s tourism commenced the operation of stopover packages without any additional airfare for the passengers. Passengers travelling through Addis Ababa and continuing their journey to one of the destinations on Ethiopian network can now take advantage of stopover offerings from Ethiopian Holidays, the tour operator wing of Ethiopian Airlines, enabling them to discover and experience the many historical, cultural, religious and natural treasures of Ethiopia, Land of Origins.
The packages range from sightseeing in Addis Ababa, visits to the pre-Christian era obelisks of Axum, the stunning medieval rockhewn churches of Lalibela, the amazing 9th century mosques of Harar, the majestic castles of Gondar, the stunning source of the Blue Nile, Simien Mountains, and lake side resorts of Hawassa to Arba Minch, or the unique coffee farms of Kaffa, birth place of coffee. According to the Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, “Ethiopian is working with all stakeholders in the tourism chain to make Ethiopia a tourism destination of choice.
With its many riches, the world has yet to truly discover Ethiopia and tourism has the potential to become the main foreign currency generator for the country and a mass job creator for the youth. ‘‘With the stopover packages, we aim to attract a significant portion of our transit customers in Addis as tourists and to considerably enhance the flow of tourism into the country.”