Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) concluded consultancy service agreement with the United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the implementation of hotel rating classification.

MCT was represented by Jemal Kedir, coordinator of Ethiopian sustainable tourism development project (ESTDP), while Zhu Shazhong, executive director of UNWTO, came representing the United Nations’ organ.

The finance for the project, which is USD 494,414, came from the World Bank (WB). This figure is before domestic direct and indirect taxes are applied. There is also going to be additional counterpart costs of USD 100,000.

Commenting on the development Jemal said; “The existing classification and rating system is outdated, and the rating assessors of the Ministry and regional tourism bureaus are inexperienced, as they have not rated the accumulation facilities for several years’’.

On her part Tadelech Dalecho, state minister for MCT, said the current raking criteria rates 78 hotels granting them from one to five stars. The ministry will also asses the rating every other three years, she added.

Source: Fortune