By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Addis Ababa (Dawan) – Ethiopia recorded more than 1.4 million foreign tourists and $5.2 billion in tourism revenue in the 2025/2026 financial year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.
Speaking during an interview with National Broadcast Corporation, the Prime Minister said tourism has become one of Ethiopia’s new sources of economic growth. He noted that the government has moved beyond simply recognizing the country’s tourism potential and is now focusing on development, promotion, and stronger global engagement to expand the sector.
According to Ahmed, the number of foreign tourists who visited Ethiopia in the 2025/2026 fiscal year exceeded last year’s figure by more than 100,000, and was more than 300,000 higher than the 2016/2017 fiscal year.
The country also hosted 204 international conferences attended by nearly 166,000 foreign participants. This, the government says, has strengthened Ethiopia’s position as a regional hub for international meetings, business, and diplomatic engagement.
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Domestic tourism has also expanded significantly, with more than 50 million Ethiopians visiting different destinations across the country. The Prime Minister said this reflects increased internal mobility and growing public interest in Ethiopia’s cultural, historical, and natural attractions.
Ahmed said Ethiopia has vast tourism resources, including the Simien and Bale Mountains, the castles of Gondar, Lake Tana, Sof Omar, the Danakil Depression, Erta Ale, and southern attractions such as an approximately 800-year-old mosque, Arba Minch, Dorze, Lakes Chamo and Abaya, and Nechisar National Park.
He said Ethiopia’s diversity — from cool highlands to the hot Danakil region, and from ancient history to unique wildlife — could make the country an important destination in the global tourism market.