Tourism in Ethiopia accounted for 5. 5% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006, having barely increased 2% over the previous year. The government is proving its commitment and willingness to develop tourism through a number of initiatives. Tourism is a featured component of Ethiopia's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) that aims to combat poverty and encourage economic development.
Climate
Sunshine is virtually guaranteed. There is a rainy season between the middle of June and the end of September, but for the rest of the year clear skies reign, with temperatures never generally rising above the late twenties. Only on the hot and humid lowland edges of western, eastern and southern Ethiopia do temperatures creep above 30°C.
Language
Food and drink
Menus in the best hotels offer international food and Addis Ababa also has a number of good Chinese, Italian and Indian restaurants. Traditional restaurants in larger cities serve food in a grand manner around a brightly coloured basket-weave table called a masob.
Specialities:
• Ethiopian food is based on dishes called we't (meat, chicken or vegetables, cooked in a hot pepper sauce) and served with or on injera (a flat spongy bread).
• Shivro and misir (chickpeas and lentils, Ethiopian-style).
• Tibs (crispy fried steak).
• Kitfo (raw or very rare ground beef marinated in a very hot chilli powder).
• There is a wide choice of fish including sole, Red Sea snapper, lake fish, trout and prawns.
