Ethiopia has launched its Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), paving the way for data-driven development of the sector.

Developed by UN Tourism, TSA is a standard statistical framework for measuring tourism's economic impact.

According to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – comprising member states Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda – the TSA directly addresses one of the biggest challenges identified in the IGAD Sustainable Tourism Master Plan: reliable data to independently and accurately measure the impact of tourism on national GDP, employment and capital investment.

“The launch of our first-ever TSA is a crucial step in capturing comprehensive data about tourism, enabling us to effectively measure and manage its economic impact,” said Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Nassise Chali.

Ethiopia is among a select group of African nations, including Kenya and Uganda, implementing this initiative in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), IGAD and domestic institutions.

UNECA Representative Geoffrey Manyara praised Ethiopia's commitment to data-driven tourism development.

“Ethiopia’s preparedness for the TSA started last year in February and now we have an approved TSA. This is indeed a remarkable achievement and Ethiopia is now one of the few countries in Africa to have a TSA.”