ETHIOPIA is seeking to boost its partnership with China in the tourism sector as part of a wider 10-year development plan.

Ethiopia recorded around US$37.2 million in revenue from Chinese visitors in 2020, the Ethiopia Ministry of Culture and Tourism disclosed last week. China is the second largest source of visitors to Ethiopia after the United States.

The Chinese visitors came to Ethiopia for a range of purposes, including conferences, business trips and leisure.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, the Ethiopian ambassador to China, Teshome Toga, disclosed Ethiopia is working with Chinese tour operators to promote Ethiopia’s tourism sites to Chinese tourists planning outbound trips.

Toga says that, with State-owned Ethiopian Airlines being the only African air carrier traveling to five Chinese destinations, the potential to attract more Chinese tourists is enormous.

Ethiopian Airlines operates passenger and cargo services to five Chinese destinations: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chengdu and Guangzhou. It also plans to start passenger flights to Shenzhen and Chongqing.

Chinese companies are also helping Ethiopia’s drive to create prominent tourist attractions across the east African country. (Xinhua)