A new five-star hotel and resort was inaugurated on Hawassa Lake in early April. Lewi General has built an 86-room facility, including stand-alone luxury bungalows, two swimming pools, four conference centers and boat facilities. The limited capacity and low quality of Ethiopia’s existing hotels has hindered efforts to attract higher numbers of tourists in the past. Despite the slow improvement in tourism infrastructure in the country, tourist numbers have been increasing in recent years and an estimated 400,000 tourists visited the country in 2008.
The government aims to attract greater numbers of tourists from emerging economies such as India and China. Both countries have growing trade and economic ties with Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Airlines now offers 14 flights a week to Beijing and Guangzhou, and 12 flights a week to New Delhi and Mumbai. However, although Ethiopia has great natural and cultural assets, it must shed its image as politically unstable and plagued by poverty and famine if it hopes to attract far greater numbers of tourists. Any unrest at the elections due in May would be a major setback to the country’s hopes of becoming a prime Tourist destination.