ESAT News (October 25, 2016)
Ethiopia’s tourism industry is suffering after authorities declared a state of emergence early this month. The number of tourists visiting the east African country has been decreasing in the last one year as the country was engulfed in deadly protests. The number has dramatically dropped after the declaration of the state of emergency.
The law forbids diplomats from traveling 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the capital “for their safety.” But Ethiopia’s Prosecutor General said on Tuesday that the state of emergency does not apply to tourists, and hence, they can travel anywhere without any restriction. Tourists are also not required to notify authorities to travel in Ethiopia.
The new directive come as a confusion to many who wonder why the authorities are concerned about the safety of diplomats but not to tourists.
The Ethiopian Tourism Organization and the hospitality industry have been reporting a decline in the number of tourists since the anti-government protests began a year ago. Ethiopia has been hit by deadly protests in the Amhara and Oromo regions against a Tigrayan minority government. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed by security forces in the two regions.
The country’s state of emergency has come under severe criticism by international organizations and rights groups as it curtails freedom of the press, political as well as other basic rights of the people.