Ethiopia takes over as the world's gateway into Africa

Ethiopia is a large transfer hub for long-haul travel to Sub-Saharan Africa, says the Vice President of global travel trend company, ForwardKeys, Olivier Ponti. Now, it has become an even bigger Sub-Saharan African transfer port than Dubai.

The total number of international transfer passengers coming in to Sub-Saharan Africa through Addis Ababa Bole International Airport has recently increased, meaning the number of passengers coming into Africa through Ethiopia is now larger than the number of travellers coming in through Dubai, which is known for being a large gateway to African countries.

Ethiopia is becoming a more popular destination since the country signed a peace deal with Eritrea in July, introduced a new e-visa policy in June that allows all international visitors to apply for a visa online and promised to open Ethiopia’s markets to private investment. All three factors have contributed to the influx in travellers.

Olivier Ponti says, “Sub-Saharan Africa is a market of opportunity. Across the region, carriers are increasing seat capacity on international flights by six percent on average; that is an encouraging sign. If more governments follow the go-ahead example set by Ethiopia, including reducing conflict and taking advantage of the benefits that can flow from more relaxed visa policies, I would expect to see a healthy growth in tourism in 2019.”