What do travelers think of when they hear the words Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? Haile Selassie, famine, food-aid, coffee? They should think breathtaking tourism opportunities.
When one thinks of Ethiopia, the words “tourist paradise” don’t exactly jump into your mind. You usually think of starving children, of food aid, of wars and violence; of kidnappings, Haile Selassie and maybe you think of coffee.
Ethiopia is Africa’s largest producer of Coffee. The trade of coffee is Ethiopia's largest export, which generates 60% of its total export earnings. Kafa (an Ethiopia name) may be where the word coffee came from. Coffee in Ethiopia has strong traditions that stem back to the 10th century. Believe it or not, one out of every four Ethiopians, work on coffee bean farms - about half the country's population. Annually, the average pay of an Ethiopian coffee farmer is about $900 dollars year - very low.
And wow, after a long drawn out dispute, it’s safe to go back into Starbucks. Starbucks settled with Ethiopia about the brand issue, but fair-trade campaigners argue that this has done little so far to reward Ethiopian farmers.
So ok, there are definitely no go areas in Ethiopia, but one of the best things there is that it isn’t crowded with tourists; it is a warm, sunny country, the oldest in Africa with the most unbelievable historic and architectural sites and home of some of the most exotic ancient civilizations in the world
There are plenty of tour companies and organized tours to take you o the ancient sites and the nature reserves and if you’re into first world luxury, stay at the Sheraton of the Hilton in Addis.
But don’t miss this country; visit Ethiopia before everyone discovers it.
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