Bahir Dar has the potential to be another resort destination in Ethiopia with more than 287 private and public programs related to the tourism industry at investment of 6 billion birr already in the works said Mulugeta Seid, Head of the Culture, Tourism and Parks Development Bureau of the Amhara Regional State.
Bahir Dar is central to tourists traveling to several destinations in Northern Ethiopia he noted.
One of the projects expected to attract increased tourism to the town is the new convention center with the capacity to host 2500 people said Mulugeta. The town is also building a stadium which can seat 65,000 spectators although the most striking attraction is expected to be the floating hotel over Lake Tana according to Mulugeta.
Tourism in the region has been steadily increasing with more than 1.5 million domestic and 110,000 international tourists visiting the area in just the last nine months of the current financial year. These numbers show an increase of 20% in the number of international tourists and 40% for domestic tourists.Revenue from tourism has increased from just 30 million birr ten years ago to more than 300 million year because of better hotels, resorts and lodges alongside improved infrastructure development explained Mulugeta.
There are 1,000 hotels and restaurants in the region with 100 of them assessed to be of tourist class and the area is linked to the capital Addis Ababa both by road and by air transport.
Source: Capital
