Addis Ababa, December 15, 2025 (FMC) — Addis Ababa is intensifying coordinated efforts to establish itself as a vibrant and globally competitive tourism destination, city leaders have said.
Officials highlighted renewed political commitment, institutional reforms, and flagship urban projects designed to transform the capital into a leading frontier city for international tourism.
The first Addis Ababa City Tourism Forum opened in the capital today, bringing together tour operators, hotel owners, federal and regional officials, and tourism experts to discuss opportunities, challenges, and strategies shaping the city’s tourism future.
Addressing the forum, Addis Ababa City Council Speaker Buzena Alkedir underscored that the city’s vast and diverse tourism resources have long been underutilized due to a lack of platforms for strategic coordination.
“Despite our immense tourism endowments, there has been a gap in coordination and dialogue,” she said. “This forum is designed to fill that gap and create a shared vision for developing Addis Ababa as a competitive tourism destination.”
Speaker Buzena noted that the forum is expected to strengthen public-private collaboration, foster innovation, improve access to finance, enhance tourism marketing and promotion, facilitate information exchange, and address key sectoral challenges.
Addis Ababa Tourism Commissioner Hunde Kebede said the federal government has prioritized tourism as a key pillar of the economy under the homegrown economic reform agenda.
“Tourism is now treated as a strategic economic sector,” he said. “For the first time, large-scale tourism projects initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have been developed, contributing not only to sector growth but also to the country’s image building.”
Commissioner Hunde highlighted that city-level initiatives, including corridor development, riverbank projects, and the construction of grand conference halls, are reshaping the urban landscape and enhancing the city’s visibility as a destination for tourism and international meetings.
He said that beyond addressing infrastructure needs, corridor development is playing a critical role in expanding tourism opportunities and enhancing global appeal.
Under recent institutional reforms, the Addis Ababa Tourism Commission was established to lead and coordinate tourism promotion, destination development, hospitality standards, and stakeholder engagement.
Since its establishment, the Commission has undertaken efforts to promote both newly developed and existing tourism destinations. This includes launching the “Visit Addis Ababa” website and social media platforms, with a mobile application currently under development to further expand access and engagement.