College of Business and Economics at Hawassa University, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Tourism Training Institute (ETTI), hosted a national research conference under the theme "Innovations and Sustainability in Modern Tourism Development" on May 2, 2026 bringing together academics, researchers, policy makers, the media and private stakeholders from both the federal government and Sidama Regional state.
In his welcoming remarks, Hawassa University's President Dr. Chirotaw Ayele highlighted tourism as a key pillar of Ethiopia’s economy, noting its strong connections to sectors such as agriculture, transport, culture, hospitality, handicrafts, and creative industries. He emphasized that the partnership between HU and ETTI represents an important link between academic research and practical applications, so the conference was meant to bridge the gap among researchers, innovators, practitioners, and policymakers in the sector to strengthen the foundations of sustainable tourism transformation in Ethiopia.
Mr. Getachew Negash, Director General of ETTI, underlined tourism’s role in generating employment, earning foreign exchange, encouraging local entrepreneurship, and supporting balanced regional development. He added that tourism has become a major focus of Ethiopia’s homegrown economic reform agenda, with government initiatives such as the “Gebeta” projects helping to expand destinations and develop skilled human resources.
Deputy Director General of ETTI, Mr. Yitaseb Seyoum, discussed technological innovations and sustainability in Ethiopia’s modern tourism development in his keynote speech. He outlined the potentials, new developments, challenges and solutions for maintaining sustainable development in Ethiopia especially with the application of digital technology.
Dr. Tafesse Matewos, Vice President for Research and Collaboration at HU, underscored in his closing remarks that Ethiopia has rich historical and natural resources, and stressed the importance of strengthening institutional partnerships, promoting green investment, advancing digital transformation, and adopting research-based policymaking to fully utilize these assets. He also mentioned that the university signed a MoU with Ultimate Solutions to enhance such collaborations as it did with the Ethiopian Tourism Training Institute earlier this year.
Dr. Wedassie Dereje, Associate Dean for Research and Collaboration at the College of Business and Economics, stated that the conference's aim was to present research findings and translate them into policy inputs for the tourism sector.
The event featured presentations of research papers followed by plenbary discussions among participants.
