DISCOVER DYNAMIC DJIBOUTI, AFRICA'S RED SEA MIRACLE
Click for Hotel and Area Views
|
|
|
Download Advance
copies from the
So when it came to Djibouti Tourism - a destination we have just began promoting in a serious way - we asked the almighty Google to search its vast domain for "Marketing Djibouti Tourism to North America?" Voila - our web site came out #1 and #2 from 251,000 entries. (Dec. 2007). Having traveled on Djibouti's doorstep during the past seven years with tours and two ATA World Congresses in neighboring Ethiopia, we are excited about this country's great potential for positive, unbridled growth. With that objective in mind we asked Google for another search, based on comments we read about Djibouti becoming another Dubai in terms of international opportunities thanks to its climate and strategic location. Again - our site was sitting in the #1 position. With our pioneer visit to
Djibouti comes the opportunity to produce a souvenir edition
on the country that will be well received by readers in the
travel tourism industry in the USA and worldwide, that will
be a showcase of positive views and scenes for this rapidly
emerging country. That's why in our introduction, we are
letting Djibouti tells it's own story.
I am Djibouti, strategically located on the Red Sea in East Africa's farthest corner. I am bordered by Ethiopia to the north and northwest, Eritrea to the north and Somalia to the southeast. Lonely Planet describes me as an ideal spot to recharge one's batteries before or after an overland trip to Ethiopia or Eritrea. The Africa Travel Association has chosen me as host country for its 11th Annual Eco Cultural Symposium from January 19-23 It's an ideal opportunity to showcase my travel, trade and tourism attractions to influential contacts from North America, Africa and points beyond. Some say I have the location and potential of becoming another Dubai, which time will tell. Among my most popular visitor attractions is year round diving and snorkeling in the Gulf of Aden with denizens of the deep including Whale Shark. I compare in size to the state of Massachusetts, and my three main regions, include the coastal plain and volcanic plateaus in my central and southern regions and mountain ranges to the north. While Djibouti City, a strategic seaport, has a half million population, two other communities, Ali-Sabieh and Tadjoura are much smaller. If you like warm weather, you will find me a great vacation spot, with November to mid April the best time to visit. Being at the mouth of the Red Sea, with my status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa I serve as an important transshipment location for trade goods entering and leaving the highlands of East Africa. My two official languages are French and Arabic, however Somali and Afar are spoken throughout the country. I have two main population groups, the Issa (Somali) and the Afar, with Europeans, Arabs and Ethiopians in lesser numbers. To be continued. Will Lion of Judah's Engine Roar
Again? After a visit to Emperor Selassie's palace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa's ornate railway station (gare) is the ideal venue for such an historic journey. Yes, the lordly Lion of Judah's engine lacks wheels, and the dust covered coaches shows neglect from being shunted aside during the Marxist regime. However, with some good old fashioned TLC (tender loving care) each museum piece would soon be in shining order. The Emperor's train is still not widely available for public view; fortunately we and our BBC friend received special permission. Info: http://www.africa-ata.org/addis , http://www.airhighways.com/adventure_rails.htm, E-mail: africa@dowco.com Headquarters Hotel Djibouti: Putting
it on the Map Djibouti reaches out to trade and
tourism The cargo vessel Shebelle has just docked at the port of Djibouti, carrying dozens of brand-new trucks. Djibouti's Red Sea port is a key African shipping hub Further along the quay, hundreds of porters are splitting a shipment of loose maize into sacks and loading them onto lorries. A knot of camels is standing around in the livestock hangar, waiting to be sent to the Arabian peninsula. This expanding shipping hub is located on one of the busiest maritime trade routes in the world. Landlocked Ethiopia is the main client and Ethiopian Shipping Lines use Djibouti as their home port. It is a major dropping point for World Food Program and USAID supplies, which are transported by road or rail to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Ethiopia's cash crop, coffee, is exported in bulk. Now an ambitious investment project plans to turn Djibouti into Africa's biggest shipping terminal, extending its commercial reach throughout East Africa.
|
Have
you Googled Djibouti lately?
The
Djibouti Story - Part One
Sometimes
I feel as if "Railways of the World" a series I launched in
1989, started a 'renaissance ' in rail travel. Perhaps it
was ESP, because since then, many famous routes have been
upgraded or restored, and new lines installed, as countless
visitors rediscover the romance of the rails. Like me, these
folks savor the fact that getting there is more than half
the fun. Given Aladdin's 3 wishes, I would restore Emperor
Haile Sellasie's 'Lion of Judah' railway engine, hook it up
to the prized set of French and British coaches, and operate
luxury excursion tours on the Franco-Ethiopian Railway.
Built in the 1930s, the 482 mile line stretches from Addis
Ababa, via Nazaret, the Rift Valley and Dire Dawa, to
Djibouti, a French protectorate on the Gulf of Aden. In a
five minute BBC interview, hoping my message would cause a
spark, I said, "Think of the much needed income such a tour
would generate for the Ethiopian economy." I've followed the
last decade's amazing railway renaissance. 