USAID announce five year Ethiopia Ecotourism Development Program
By Dereje Berhanue
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia- the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Wednesday July 16, 2008 launched a new multi-million dollars ecotourism program which will contribute to the development of Ethiopian’s unique and potentially very lucrative ecotourism sector.
According to USAID the five-year Ethiopia Ecotourism Development Program will protect natural resource and cultural heritage sites as well as improve the livelihoods and quality of life of local communities.
The announcement was made by the United States ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto at the USAID-Ethiopia Tourism Competitiveness Workshop.  Local and international conservation groups, officials of the Ethiopian government and other interested groups at the workshop discussed on the potentially important roles the tourism industry could play in poverty alleviation and economic growth.
Ambassador Yamamoto at the event said: “The time is now to prioritize Ethiopia’s travel and tourism industry to improve tourism and infrastructures and to protect the nation’s natural resources.
USAID-Ethiopia’s Ethiopia Ecotourism Development Program is part of the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance which is using tourism development to reduce poverty stimulate economic growth promote natural resource steward ship and conserve biodiversity.
In Ethiopia the Alliance will work with local stakeholders to design a program that will create job opportunities respect social-cultural values and heritage and protect the environment at the same time.
“We must ensure the country’s cultural resources and areas of natural beauty are protected we must ensure that local communities protected we must ensure that local communities are motivated to protect these areas by benefiting directly via employment  or  income generating opportunities capturing their share of the revenue to unrests bring in to this country” said Nancy Estes, USAID Acting Mission Director.
Currently global travel and tourism accounts for more than and  3 trillion USD industry and employs 7.6 percent of the world’s total employment. The United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasts that international travel will double by 2020.