Cape Town Expresses Interest to Create Link with Ethiopian Cities & Promote Tourism

Cape Town Ssister City

Addis Ababa (ENA) – Executive Mayor of the City of Cape TownPatricia de Lille (DA), expressed readiness to form sister city agreement with various cities in Ethiopia for a mutual benefit in the tourism sector.

Cape Town and Hawassa have already inked sister city agreement last year.

Lille told ENA that Cape Town is keen to create link and share best practices with Ethiopian sister cities to market the two countries’ natural and historical tourist destinations.

“We need to engage more with each other and share best practices. As brothers and sisters of Africa, we need to work together because we can only make progress possible when we are together and not separate,” she said.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille -
Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille –

Lille also called on Ethiopians to utilize the ample business opportunities available in Cape Town and promote their country’s tourist destinations for South Africans as a whole and Cape Town in particular.

In a related development, the South Africa Minister of Economy and Tourism, Alan Winde said his government is striving to make business to business cooperation with Ethiopian cities.

“We are looking to improve trade relations between the two countries. But first we need to create strong bond in the tourism sector,” Winde said.

Cape Town, the 10th most populous city in Africa and a home to 64 percent of the Western Cape’s population in 2014, is famous for its sightseeing, it was learnt.

Ethiopian Airlines launched its direct service to Cape Town last week with the inaugural flight touching down at Cape Town International Airport last Tuesday.