Good Numbers. Real Gaps. Big Ambitions.

Ethiopia attracted 1.2 million international tourists and $2 billion in revenue in the first nine months of FY2025/26. Both figures are genuine. Both sit below what the sector achieved before COVID and the Tigray conflict reset a decade of progress. The 2030 target of $5 billion requires domestic aviation connectivity, hotel capacity outside Addis Ababa, a trained hospitality workforce, and a commercialised conference tourism segment — not just more Dine programme lodges.