Tourism is one of the economic sectors that draws considerable attention in both developed and developing countries around the world for its invaluable contribution to the generation of foreign currency and job creation, as well as fostering the development of trade and service-providing institutions at all levels, contributing to the overall socio-economic development, and helping to maintain good relationships and understanding among different societies and cultures.

Ethiopia is endowed with historical, cultural, and natural attractions to develop tourism sustainably. Despite its vast potential, the development of the tourism industry and the derived outcomes are still in their infancy when compared to other well-established tourist destinations.

However, the quality of the service delivery and thereby the contribution to the economic and social development played by the recently developed types of tourist service-providing enterprises is encouraging, so to support this promising development, to benefit the community sustainably, and to make the desired development objective achievable as quickly as possible, tourist service-providing enterprises and all stakeholders in the industry should continue to work together in a coherent and integrated manner.

Moreover, to achieve the desired development objectives and to control the relationships, the communities around tourist attractions, tourist service providers, investors, employees, professionals in the industry, and even visitors should be governed by an agreed-upon Code of Ethics. The implementation of this Code of Ethics largely focuses on awareness-creation about its benefits, and if serious violations of the Code occur, they should be dealt with according to the relevant law of the land.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, based on its mandate to issue directives and create an enabling environment for the development of the tourism sector, declared this Code of Ethics of Tourism. To issue the Code, reference has been made to the Global Code of Ethics of Tourism endorsed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), General Assembly held in Santiago, Chile, in 1999, and due consideration was given to tailor the Code to help fit the sector’s situation and circumstances for practical implementation, monitoring, and evaluation purposes. In addition, the major stakeholders of the industry were consulted in various instances, and their contribution was invaluable in the preparation of this Code of Ethics.