Saturday, July 18, 2015

ETHIOPIA - world's top tourist destination 2015


Elaine Schwartz, Barbara Good and I traveled in Ethiopia in May 2013.... before it was 'fashionable'. Of course, it was very interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed traveling with Kelly Yadessa, Guide with Travel Ethiopia.

See other posts in this blog to share our travel experiences...

http://qz.com/447128/ethiopia-has-been-voted-the-worlds-best-tourism-destination-for-2015/

Ethiopia has been chosen as this year’s top destination in the world for tourists by the European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT), a non-profit group of European Union tourism trade organizations.

Can you guess the world's top tourism destination?

by Sophie Eastaugh, for CNN
Updated 11:44 AM ET, Fri July 17, 2015


A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hide Caption
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Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
Hide Caption
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Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
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Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
Hide Caption
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In the eastern city of Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who visited the area. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In the eastern city of Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who visited the area. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
Hide Caption
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One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern city.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern city.
Hide Caption
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Ethiopia is <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/et" target="_blank">home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites</a>, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
Hide Caption
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Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
Hide Caption
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In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
Hide Caption
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Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
Hide Caption
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The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
Hide Caption
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The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
Hide Caption
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A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hide Caption
7 of 12
Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
Hide Caption
8 of 12
Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
Hide Caption
9 of 12
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
Hide Caption
10 of 12
In the eastern city of Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who visited the area. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In the eastern city of Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who visited the area. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
Hide Caption
11 of 12
One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern city.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern city.
Hide Caption
12 of 12
Ethiopia is <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/et" target="_blank">home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites</a>, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
Hide Caption
1 of 12
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
Hide Caption
2 of 12
In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
Hide Caption
3 of 12
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
Hide Caption
4 of 12
The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
Hide Caption
5 of 12
The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
Hide Caption
6 of 12
unesco 05
Lalibela, Ethiopia
lalibela ethiopia Church St. George
lalibela ethiopian priests monks timkat
Ethiopia dallol sulphur springs
ethiopia acid pools
irpt camels in Danakil Depression, Northern Ethiopia
ethiopia volcano
inside africa ethiopia fashion hand weaving
Ethiopia religious sites Negash
ethiopia 11x
ethiopia 38


http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/13/travel/ethiopia-worlds-best-tourism-destination/
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