Tourist visas to be issued on entry

The Ethiopian government has started issuing tourist visas for certain countries upon arrival in the country, the pro-government Walta Information Centre reported on 15 January. According to the Ethiopian Security and Immigration Affairs Authority, the citizens of "33 main tourist-generating countries" can now collect tourist visas upon arrival in the country. The move was aimed at promoting tourism and removing bureaucratic bottlenecks affecting the development of the industry, Walta said. Previously, tourists had to obtain a visa prior to visiting the country. The head of the Immigration and Citizens' Affairs Main Department, Woldemariam Wako, said the new system had been in operation since 9 January this year. He called on tour operators to take advantage of the opportunity to attract more tourists and to publicise the new directive. He also said the directive might gradually be extended to citizens of other countries. Citizens of the following countries are eligible for visas upon arrival: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.