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Ethiopia
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Thirteen
Months of Sunshine The Africa Travel Association honored former Ethiopian Minister of Tourism Habte Selassie Tafesse for his outstanding contributions to the development of Tourism in Ethiopia, at a Gala Dinner held at the Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa. ATA (an international association of the travel industry promoting Africa in the United States) held its 25th Anniversary Congress in the Ethiopian Capital City.
He played a major role in the creation of the Historic Route, which to this date has remained as the most popular segment of Ethiopia's tourist attractions. "The Historic Route" consists of the Blue Nile Falls, Lake Tana, Gondar, Lalibela and Axum. Conference Chairman Hagos Legesse summed up by saying, "Thanks to this man of vision, we now have the opportunity to visit and admire the great history and culture of ancient Ethiopia. To many of us he is a role model as the man of inspiration and action and he shall always be remembered as the pioneer of the Ethiopian Tourism Industry."
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In
recognizing the contributions of Mr. Habte Selassie Tafesse,
popularly known as "the man who invented tourism in
Ethiopia", Conference Chairman Hagos Legesse said, "Back in
1961, Mr. Tafesse introduced for the first time the concept
of tourism in Ethiopia, when visitors were looked upon more
as curious strangers rather than a source of important
income to a developing nation." Mr. Tafesse coined the
phrase, "Thirteen Months of Sunshine", in referring to the
Ethiopian Calendar, which in turn provoked the imagination
of visitors.