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Thirteen
Months of Sunshine
A
Tribute to Habte Selassie Tafesse,
The Man Who Invented Tourism In Ethiopia
The
Africa Travel Association honored former Ethiopian
Minister of Tourism Habte Selassie Tafesse for his
outstanding contributions to the development of
Tourism in Ethiopia, at a Gala Dinner held at the
Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa. ATA (an international
association of the travel industry promoting Africa
in the United States) held its 25th Anniversary
Congress in the Ethiopian Capital City. Above photo
showing contrasting lifestyles in today's Ethiopia
is compliments of Ethiopian Airlines from it's book
"Binging Africa Together."
In
recognizing the contributions of Mr. Habte Selassie
Tafesse, popularly known as "the man who invented
tourism in Ethiopia", Conference Chairman Hagos
Legesse said, "Back in 1961, Mr. Tafesse introduced
for the first time the concept of tourism in
Ethiopia, when visitors were looked upon more as
curious strangers rather than a source of important
income to a developing nation." Mr. Tafesse coined
the phrase, "Thirteen Months of Sunshine", in
referring to the Ethiopian Calendar, which in turn
provoked the imagination of visitors.
He played a major
role in the creation of the Historic Route, which
to this date has remained as the most popular
segment of Ethiopia's tourist attractions. "The
Historic Route" consists of the Blue Nile Falls,
Lake Tana, Gondar, Lalibela and Axum. Conference
Chairman Hagos Legesse summed up by saying, "Thanks
to this man of vision, we now have the opportunity
to visit and admire the great history and culture
of ancient Ethiopia. To many of us he is a role
model as the man of inspiration and action and he
shall always be
remembered as the pioneer of the Ethiopian Tourism
Industry."
Photo
Credit: Ethiopian Airlines
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