The world keeps finding fresh reasons to look at Ethiopia — and this week, one of them arrived in a Dubai.News T-shirt, throwing a peace sign over a turquoise crater lake.
Sheeraz Hasan, the Dubai-based fame and media strategist behind Hollywood.AI, has been touring Wenchi, one of the most photogenic corners of the Ethiopian highlands, with a small creative team. Ethiopia's Ministry of Tourism shared the visit on its official channels, framing it as another moment in the country's steady rise as a destination the rest of the world is only beginning to discover.
A crater lake that does the talking
Wenchi — sometimes written Wonchi — sits in the Oromia highlands southwest of Addis Ababa, a collapsed volcano now cradling a deep blue lake ringed by forested ridges. Green islands rise out of the water, one of them home to a centuries-old monastery, while the surrounding slopes hide hot springs, waterfalls and horse trails that local community guides have run for years.
It is the kind of place that needs very little marketing once a camera is pointed at it. In the photographs the ministry posted, Hasan stands on the rim with the caldera fanning out behind him; other frames capture the lake from the air, a vertigo-inducing footbridge strung across a forested gorge, and the cluster of red-roofed eco-lodges that give travellers a reason to stay the night.
‘Land of Origins’ meets the fame machine
Ethiopia sells itself to the world under the line “Land of Origins,” a nod to its standing as one of humanity's earliest homes. The ministry cast Hasan's visit as a way to carry that brand onto bigger screens, linking the country's tourism potential to the Hollywood- and Bollywood-facing creative work he is known for.
For Hasan, who built his name turning celebrities and brands into global headlines from Dubai, the logic is familiar: attention is a destination's most valuable currency, and Ethiopia has no shortage of scenery worth pointing a lens at.
Why a Dubai strategist matters to Addis Ababa
Ethiopia has spent the past few years trying to reframe itself for travellers who still picture it only through old headlines. New lodges, restored heritage sites and a national tourism brand have all been part of that effort — but reach is the missing piece, and that is exactly what a Gulf-based media operator brings to the table.
Routing Ethiopia's landscapes through the same channels that chase red carpets and viral moments is a deliberate bet: that a single well-shot crater lake, shared to the right global audience, can do more for arrivals than a brochure ever could.
What Wenchi offers a visitor
- A highland crater lake at roughly 3,000 metres, cool and clear year-round
- Boat trips to a forested island and its historic monastery
- Natural hot springs and waterfalls along the caldera walls
- Horseback and hiking trails run by the local eco-tourism community
- Lakeside eco-lodges for an overnight stay within reach of Addis Ababa
Whether the spotlight translates into visitors is the longer game. For now, Ethiopia has its crater lake in front of a global audience — and a Dubai strategist happy to keep the camera rolling.
