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Over 50 international and continental events held in Addis Ababa in the past six months

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Over 50 international and continental events have been held in the city in the past six months.

The Addis Ababa Culture, Arts and Tourism Bureau said that the development of new and existing tourism destinations in the capital has enabled the city to host international and continental events.

The bureau also said that the increase in events held in Addis Ababa shows that the capital is at a crucial stage for the development of MICE tourism. 

Deputy Head of the bureau, Hunde Kebede, told EZA that although tourism has a long history in the country, it has not been fully utilized to its full potential. 

He also noted that the sector requires high investment, and there were infrastructure limitations. 

He also said that since the change, the tourism sector has received attention and is being developed as one of the five pillars of the economy.

He mentioned that under the initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), several tourism destinations have been developed in the country, for the people, and for the nation. 

He also mentioned that in Addis Ababa city, in addition to developing new tourism destinations, work has been done to renovate existing tourist destinations.

He stated that the development of other tourism destinations, including Friendship Square, Entoto and Unity Park, will increase the number of tourists and extend their stay. He said that this will increase the benefits of the sector.

He also stated that the construction of the Adwa Victory Memorial and the Addis International Convention Center will contribute to MICE tourism.

He noted that Addis Ababa is the seat of many continental and international institutions and that various conferences will be held there, and that the current tourism destination development works will help expand MICE tourism. 

He pointed out that more than 50 continental and international events have been held in the city in the past six months alone, indicating that it is at a critical stage in the development of MICE tourism. 

He added that the office has organized a department to exploit the city's MICE tourism potential and is working to increase the awareness of sector players about MICE tourism. 

He pointed out that tourism is a sector that contributes to the construction of a country beyond its economic value, and is being developed in collaboration with stakeholders. MICE is a tourism sector that includes meetings, conferences, incentive trips and exhibition events.