ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 700,000 foreign tourists visited the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, during the first six months of the current Ethiopian fiscal year that began on July 8, 2025, according to local authorities.
Presenting the city's half-year performance report on the tourism sector on Friday, Adanech Abiebie, Mayor of Addis Ababa City, said that 699,761 foreign tourists visited the capital during the period, showing a 15 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
According to the mayor, the inflow of tourists has enabled the city administration to generate 155 billion birr (about 1 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue from the sector. A total of 4.9 million domestic tourists also visited the city during the period, exceeding the target of 4.7 million.
The mayor attributed the "strong performance" to the development of new and upgraded tourism destinations, making the capital a leading tourism and conference hub in Africa.
Abiebie further emphasized that public, religious, and cultural festivals that were celebrated in the city, along with the expansion of sports and health tourism, have significantly contributed to the rise in foreigners visiting the city. The ongoing development works and flagship mega-projects being undertaken across the city are expected to attract an increasing number of tourists and high-level international and continental gatherings.
Over the past six months alone, nearly 150 international and continental events were also held in Addis Ababa, representing a 50 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the mayor's report.
