Harar, the ancient Ethiopian city which stands on the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley with about 100 old mosques, fortress-style walls, alleyways filled with ancient homes seeks to be the next major tourist destination. The tourism and cultural departments are making great efforts to intensify tourist facilities.
Recently named a UNESCO World Heritage site, Harar is undergoing immense development. Presently, the city lacks modern amenities, has only a handful of hotels, lags behind in airport transportation facilities and suffers from a chronic water shortage but the city sees the bright future. Much improvement has been made in the recent years and the city has developed in many ways. The roads have become better; the electricity supply is better, the water supply is better and there are further undergoing development projects that make the city officials foresee the place to be a major tourist hub.
New tourist facilities are being build up and there are people making good investment for these development projects. Unfinished hotels and restaurants can be spotted on the roads that lead to the main part of the city. Also, a team has been sent to Harar at the request of regional officials to investigate potential to build the city’s first luxury hotel.
The city is also planning a $34.5 million water project that will increase Harar’s available water supply more than sevenfold. New art gallery and many other tourist spots are making the city much more alluring to tourists.
Source: USA Today
