Lebawit Lily Girma

Lily is Skift's global tourism reporter. Prior to that, she wrote travel stories focused on culture and sustainability for BBC, CNN, and Travel + Leisure, and others. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Côte d’Ivoire, she calls herself a serial expat and loves to debate the power of tourism to tip the scales of imbalance in the world. Lily splits her time between the Dominican Republic and the eastern U.S.

Latest Stories

Tourism

Ghana’s Return Tours Tap Celebrity African Americans – And Overlook a Reality

Ghana’s push to attract more African Americans to visit and invest makes sense, but using celebrities to drive the campaign is problematic. Not least, two years of pandemic means residents will increasingly scrutinize the tourism sector and demand a transparent, long-term plan to benefit host communities.

Lebawit Lily Girma | 3 weeks ago

Tourism

Dear Travel Leaders, Sustainability Is Not a PR Exercise

When is the travel industry as a whole going to prioritize sustainability by deed and not word? Time is running out and the complacency and greenwashing around climate action from aviation and cruise, as well as the ongoing lack of better options for the rising conscious consumer are alarming. Most are back to business as usual — and it's scary as hell.

Lebawit Lily Girma | 1 month ago

Tourism

Canada Indigenous Tourism Gets Big Nod for First Time in National Budget

After all, Indigenous experiences can play a critical role in Canada's reconciliation process, as well as in drawing the deep-pocketed international traveler back to Canada.

Lebawit Lily Girma | 1 month ago

Coronavirus

Philadelphia’s New Tourism Campaign Advances Close-To-Home Strategy

Tourism marketing from destinations that continue to prioritize their resident communities are likely to build a more resilient future. If Visit Philadelphia keeps applying that lesson past the pandemic years, it's likely to pay off long term.