Some 40 members of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), who visited historical sites in Ethiopia after they held their annual board meeting, said they are “impressed” by the sites and the amazing potential of the tourism sector.
Board members of the United States Tour Operators Association had the opportunity to visit Gondar, Lalibela and Bahir Dar historical sites.
According to the president, the country has amazing potentials for attracting more visitors.
“Our members are getting excited and aware about what the country has to tell the world,” he added.
He also said they had interacted with the local tour operators on the sidelines of the board meeting.
Association President Terry Dale added: “we will come back.”
One of the tour operators and board member, Dana Santucci said “our customers will be looking forward to visiting the country when we let them know the hospitality of the people and the culture of the country.”
Ethiopian Airline CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam said on his part it is a good opportunity to establish a partnership with the association “since we are planning to launch a campaign of promoting Ethiopia as a tourist destination in the United States.”
United States Tour Operators Association has 10 million customers that tour all corners of the world and spend about 10 billion USD.
Founded in 1972, USTOA is a professional, voluntary trade association created with the primary purpose of promoting integrity within the tour operator industry.
The association is not a tour operator and it does not conduct tours, but the member tour operators do the job.