Ethiopia forms new tourism board

Aug 20, 2018: Fitsum Arega, the chief of staff of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has been appointed as chairman of the national tourism board. The appointment fills the vacancy after former culture and tourism minister Hirut Woldemariam sacked the entire board in April, only to pay the price herself when she was moved from the increasingly important portfolio less than two weeks after she took the controversial decision.

The board consists of Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, the chair of the Addis Ababa Hotel Association Biniam Bisrat and Yacob Melaku, chair of the Ethiopian Tour Operators Association, among others. The new Minister for culture and tourism Bizunesh Meseret also serves on the board. Lensa Mekonnen was appointed as CEO of the ETO and took office on the August 6, 2018.