Ethiopia eases visa services to boost tourism

E-visa services for the foreign tourists have been launched by Ethiopian immigration authorities and Ethiopian Airlines. The new online visa application and issuance came to effect by June 1^st. This online system will help the foreign tourists to apply and process their visa on a single page, with the option to pay and get their visa entry online. The applicants will receive and e-mail authorizing their travel to Ethiopia, once the application is approved. The visa will be stamped on their passport upon arrival in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia had prolific revenue of around $3.5 billion from tourism last year. Most number of tourists to the African country was from US, followed by UK and China. Chinese tourists alone contributed $170 million last year. “Ethiopia, the oldest independent civilization in Africa and the world, is endowed with historical places, natural beauty, colorful and diverse cultural activities and various endemic wild animals which are of great interest to international tourists. This project is part of a new national initiative to transform the tourism sector in the country. The full commencement of the online visa application and issuance system will promote tourism, trade and investment in Ethiopia,” said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO, Ethiopian Airlines Group.