Harar secures 10.8 million Birr revenue from tourism

Harar, Ethiopia – Over 10.8 million Birr revenue was secured from more than 13,000 tourists, who visited historical, religious and cultural sites in Harari State during the first seven months of this Ethiopian fiscal year, the state tourism bureau said.

Tourism development directorate director with the bureau, Yasmin Zekerya told ENA on Thursday that the amount exceeded by two fold that of last year’s same period .

Some 10,000 of the stated number of tourists are domestic visitors.

Intensive promotional activities and the state’s being home of sites registered as world heritages contributed to the growth in the income, she said.

The wall of Harar Town, locally known as the Jegol, ancient mosques and churches, tamed hyenas and the residence of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud are among the attractions in the State.

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) spent his last 10 years in Harar.