ADDIS ABABA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed on Friday that over 3.32 billion U.S. dollars had been generated from the tourism sector during the just concluded Ethiopian fiscal year.
According to the ministry, the 3.32 billion U.S. dollars revenue was generated from over 886,800 tourists that have visited the east African country during the just concluded 2016 / 2017 Ethiopian fiscal year.
The ministry, however, indicated that the revenue earned from the sector has registered a 2.5 percent reduction as compared with the amount generated during the previous fiscal year.
The violent public demonstrations that erupted in different parts of Ethiopia during the last quarter of 2016 has substantially affected the country's tourist inflow, the Ethiopian Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed in a statement issued on Friday.
Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, known for hosting various international and regional organizations including the African Union (AU) headquarters and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), is said to be one among the growing tourist attracting places in the country.
According to recent figures from the Addis Ababa City Administration Culture and Tourism Office, the capital has attracted over 650,000 tourists in the first three quarters of the just concluded fiscal year.
The historical and archaeological artifacts collection on show at the Ethiopian National Museum in the capital is also one major tourist attraction site. The museum is home to the most famous Lucy, a 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor of the hominid era.
