Sudanese group ends week-long tour in Ethiopia

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 30, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — A team consisting of 22 Sudanese nationals brought from various community bodies has paid a week-long visit around tourist attractions in Ethiopia.

The tour which longed from September 22-28 which was organized by Kuriftu Resorts PLC along with the Ethiopian Embassy in Sudan was mainly conducted with an aim to introduce the level of resort, hotel and tourism industry the horn nation reached and there by promote the country as part of the efforts to make it among Africa’s highly tourist destined countries.

Among others, the team comprises of Journalists, Musicians, scholars, representatives from government bodies, and prominent individuals. The group visited the Blue Nile River, towns of Bahirdar, Hawasa, and Bishoftu. They also have stayed at Haile resort – a recently inaugurated resort owned by the legendary Ethiopian Athlete Haile Gebrseslase, the current world Marathon record holder.

“The visit will contribute greatly to further beefing up the expanding tourism industry in Ethiopia” Tadios Getachew, owner and general manager of Kuriftu Resorts, and Boston Partners PLC said. He added that the Tour was Successful and such team visits will be continued to other countries as well. He said a group of 30 people from Uganda are invited to visit Ethiopia in a similar fashion.

Some Visitors told Sudan Tribune that they had an excellent time and expressed admiration to the country’s gifted favorable weather, Greenness, the natural beauty in general and further appreciated the culture and hospitability of the Ethiopian people.

Dafalla Al-Haj Ali who is engaged in Sudan’s Music industry said that he is keen to bring a Sudanese traditional music group to the resorts he visited in Ethiopia to play his own role in further boosting the cultural relations and people to people ties of the two sisterly nations.

Speaking to Ethiopian television, Anna Nimiriano Nunu, a journalist working as editorial advisor to Khartoum Monitor-an English daily newspaper was so amazed by the Ethiopian traditional architecture.

Hatem Elrofai Warrag, Executive Director of Khartoum University, is so pleased with what he has seen in his first visit to Ethiopia. The Sudanese, during their stay in Ethiopia, were entertained with the beauty and comfort of the environment, the country’s cultural food and drink as well as the traditional music.

Trade, Investment, tourism and border development head within the Ethiopian Embassy in Sudan Leoulseged Belayneh, to his part said that “organizing such visits would enable to build positive image of the country and to further enhance existing bilateral ties of Ethiopia with other nations.”

Sudanese are said to have a frequent visiting habits more than any other Africans. Every year at least one Million Sudanese pay a visit to Egypt alone. In recent years they have shifted their visits to Malaysia.

(ST)