Ethiopia said Monday about US$134 million was obtained from the tourism sector last year due to the government's commitment to enhance the sector's role in the country's economy.

The income, obtained during the year 2005, exceeded by 20.2 million dollars over the previous year, it said.

In a press conference he gave in connection with the World Tourism Day, due to be celebrated on Sept. 27, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mohammoud Dirir told journalists that over 227,000 tourists visited Ethiopia in 2005.

He attributed the increase to the attention given by the government, the considerable increase in public and private investment and development of the infrastructure.

However, Mohammoud bemoaned tourism constitutes only 2 percent of the country's GDP.

He added the government has given due attention to change this and put the country among the top 10 African tourist destinations by the year 2020.

The registration of Jegol (the walled city in east Ethiopia's Harari state) by UNESCO in the world heritage list would increase the tourism inflow into the country, he said.

Encouraging results were registered in the expansion of investment and provision of facilities vital for the sector like hotel, transport and tour operators, Mohammoud said.

This year's World Tourism Day would be celebrated in Ethiopia under the theme "Tourism Enriches." A symposium, sports events, food and beverage contest and music festival, among others, would be held to commemorate the day, he said.

In Ethiopia, the main tourist destination at the moment is the northern historic route encompassing Bahir Dar, Gondar, Axum, Makalle and Lalibela. Addis Ababa, the principal gateway to Ethiopia being a business center and a conference venue as well, is in its own right a major destination. The other destinations chiefly include the wildlife centers along the Great Rift Valley and the south-west, and the eastern historic area of Harari. The total number of international tourist arrivals in Ethiopia, although growing, is by no means commensurate with the potentials of the country's attractions. The present constraints to growth are identified largely as shortage of tourist facilities and limited promotion.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2006)