London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) reveals the African Travel & Tourism
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading carrier, is honored to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Global Recognition and Appreciation Award at the First International Post-COVID Conference held in Toronto. This accolade acknowledges Ethiopian Airlines’ pivotal role in distributing emergency gear throughout Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the delivery of essential medical supplies and saving countless lives.
The conference was jointly held by Livelihood Development International Initiatives (LDII), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and other partners aimed at building a unified frontier for responding to future global pandemics.
While receiving the recognition award Ethiopian Airlines GCEO, Mr. Mesfin Tasew expressed his admiration saying, “”We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition for our significant contribution worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This recognition is a testament to our commitment, dedication and hard work of our team members, the airline community, and the stakeholders who worked tirelessly with us to keep our operations running smoothly during those difficult times. This award gives us another courage to stay committed to serving our customers and communities, even during unprecedented challenges.””
In the face of unprecedented challenges, Mr. Mesfin emphasized the airline’s adaptability and unwavering commitment. “Every flight carried is more than just supplies; it carried hope and life. We remain committed to using our global network and expertise to empower”.
sector is expected to create almost 14 million new jobs over the next decade.
The positive forecast from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which shows an average of 1.4 million new jobs every year, also reveals the sector will lead the economic recovery in the region, with its annual GDP growth set to outpace the overall economy for the next 10 years.
According to the report, Travel & Tourism’s GDP is forecasted to grow at an average rate of 6.8% annually between 2022-2032, more than twice the 3.3% growth rate of region’s overall economy, to reach nearly US$ 279 billion (7.2% of the total economy).
The sector’s contribution to GDP is expected to grow 20.5% to US$ 144 billion by the end of 2022, amounting to 5.1% of the total economic GDP, while employment in the sector is set to grow by 3.1% this year to reach nearly 22 million jobs.
The global tourism body’s annual report also shows further optimism for the region’s Travel & Tourism GDP, which could approach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 – just 9% below 2019 levels.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Africa is clearly bouncing back and is set to experience a significant recovery over the couple of years and looking ahead over the next 10 years, the sector could create almost 14 million jobs.
“However, last year the recovery was significantly impacted by Omicron, which saw many countries reinstating severe and unjustified travel restrictions on several key African destinations.”
Before the pandemic, the Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to the region’s GDP was 6.8% (US$182.4 billion) in 2019, falling to just 3.8% (US$96.5 billion) in 2020 when the pandemic was at its height, nearly halving the contribution of such a crucial sector to the economy with a 47.1% decline.
The sector also supported more than 25 million jobs across the region, which after a 22.9% drop, fell to just 19.6 million in 2020.
However, looking back at 2021, WTTC’s latest EIR report reveals a year in which we saw the beginning of the recovery for the region’s Travel & Tourism sector, Travel & Tourism’s contribution to GDP increased 23.5% year on year, to reach more than US$119 billion.
It also saw a recovery of 1.6 million Travel & Tourism jobs, representing a positive 8.2% rise to reach more than 21 million.
Ethiopian Airlines played a crucial role in re configuring approximately 25 passenger aircraft into dedicated cargo freighters. The airline conducted over 470 charter repatriation flights, reuniting more than 63,000 citizens with their families, and loved ones. In collaboration with governmental entities, non-profit organizations, and international agencies, Ethiopian Airlines facilitated the transportation of millions of tons of personal protective equipment, medical apparatus, vaccines,
and other essential supplies across Africa and beyond.”
“Throughout its 78-year journey, Ethiopian Airlines has cultivated remarkable adaptability, agility, and resilience. Amidst adversity, the airline has preserved its legacy as one of the continent’s leading carriers, renowned for operational excellence and efficiency.
During the Covid-19 pandemic Ethiopian Airlines was one of the few airlines that managed to continue their operation and serve the global community in transporting medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and required personnel to various parts of the world. The airline had also implemented several strategies amid the pandemic to weather the crisis including service
diversification, precautionary measures, and responsive management.”
