January 11, 2006
Addis Ababa – the new Beirut
Ethiopia's tourism troubles are over. Apparently Addis Ababa has started to attract a whole new breed of holiday-makers.
Ethiopia's capital has just appeared in a double page spread by The (London) Times of places "Where The In-Crowd Go". Here's the full entry from the Saturday magazine.
ETHIOPIA: Notting Hillbillies, always in search of fresh horizons in Africa, are heading to the continent's unsung gem, says Tim Best Travel. There are extraordinary Gondar castles and underground churches, as well as ramshackle modern architecture, magnificent scenery (waterfalls and desert) and exotic nightlife in Addis Ababa (set to take over from Beirut as an unexpected party town.)
You've got to admire the ingenuity – particularly in selling Addis's "ramshackle modern architecture" as an attraction. And Ethiopia really is a great place to visit. But, if I had the intelligence and time, I would now be making some snide joke about Addis being a bit more like the old Beirut at the moment rather than the new.
Posted by aheavens at January 11, 2006 3:06 PM