Kuriftu Resorts, RIDE Join Forces to Drive Tourism Growth and Smart Transport in Ethiopia

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Ethiopia’s travel scene has a new power partnership. RIDE Ethiopia, the country’s leading ride-hailing platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kuriftu Resorts, the hospitality group behind some of Ethiopia’s most celebrated resort destinations. The agreement sets out to transform how tourists and locals move between cities, airports, and resort locations, making travel not just easier but smarter.

This is not a ceremonial handshake; both companies are backing the vision with technology and infrastructure, with plans to embed RIDE’s transport platform directly into the Kuriftu guest experience.

At its core, the deal integrates RIDE’s transport technology with Kuriftu’s hospitality services. Guests checking into a Kuriftu property will gain access to seamless, app-driven mobility, coordinated transfers, reliable pickups, and routes managed through RIDE’s platform—no scrambling for taxis. No haggling. Just efficient movement from arrival to check-in and everywhere in between.

Samrawit Fikru, CEO of RIDE, explained what drove the decision. “This partnership reflects a shared vision to redefine mobility and elevate customer experience through reliable, technology-driven transport solutions,” she said.

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Her framing of mobility goes beyond vehicles and roads. “At RIDE, we believe mobility is more than just movement. It is about connecting people to opportunities, experiences, and destinations seamlessly and efficiently.”

That philosophy, mobility as a bridge, not just a service, sits at the heart of why this particular partnership makes sense. Kuriftu does not simply offer accommodation. It sells an experience of Ethiopia. RIDE now becomes the thread connecting guests to that experience from the moment they land.

Eleven Years of Building, One Strategic Leap

RIDE did not arrive at this deal overnight. Founded in 2014 as a subsidiary of Hybrid Designs PLC, the company has spent more than a decade shaping urban transport in Addis Ababa. It entered the market at a time when getting a safe, affordable, and predictable ride in the capital was far from guaranteed.

The platform grew steadily, adding features that expanded its offerings beyond ride-hailing into business mobility. Companies across Ethiopia now rely on RIDE’s trip-reporting and financial-tracking tools to manage transport budgets in real time. That level of operational depth, accountability, and transparency distinguishes RIDE from simpler transport apps.

Now, the company is applying those capabilities to one of Ethiopia’s fastest-growing sectors: tourism.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to enable smarter, more accessible travel for guests, while contributing to the growth of Ethiopia’s tourism sector and digital economy,” Samrawit said.

RIDE’s long-term ambition reaches beyond Ethiopia. The company sees itself becoming a global player in the transport industry, with Africa as its anchor. This partnership with Kuriftu plants a clear flag in that direction.

Kuriftu’s Role in Ethiopia’s Tourism Identity

Kuriftu Resorts carries real weight in Ethiopia’s hospitality landscape. Its properties sit in some of the country’s most striking natural settings: Lake Tana in the north and the crater lakes of Bishoftu to the south of Addis Ababa. Each location draws on Ethiopia’s cultural heritage, its architecture, its textures, and its rituals, wrapping them around a contemporary experience built for international and domestic travellers alike.

The resorts offer more than rest. Guests come for wellness, adventure, and something harder to name, a sense of place that generic hotels rarely deliver. Kuriftu has spent years building that reputation. What it has lacked is a transport partner that matches its standard for reliability and intentionality.

Together, the two companies are building what Samrawit describes as more connected, efficient and forward-looking mobility experiences across cities in Ethiopia. The language is precise. Forward-looking means digital. ‘Connected’ means ‘integrated’. Efficient means no wasted time between the airport and the lakeshore.

The RIDE-Kuriftu partnership also connects to something larger than either company. Ethiopia is actively pushing toward digital transformation, integrating technology into public services, private enterprise, and everyday infrastructure. Tourism is a priority sector in that push.

When two homegrown Ethiopian companies collaborate to deliver tech-driven travel solutions, they model what that transformation can look like in practice. Not imported platforms. Not foreign capital alone. Ethiopian companies solving Ethiopian challenges with global-standard tools.

Both companies are betting that the future of Ethiopia’s tourism economy runs on a seamless experience from the moment a traveller lands to the moment they depart. Every friction point removed, every transfer made effortless, and every connection made reliable is a vote for the kind of travel infrastructure that brings visitors back.

“Two Ethiopian companies. One shared vision. “Real impact,” Samrawit said. That line carries more than corporate optimism. It signals an intentional alignment: two organisations that could have remained in separate lanes choosing instead to build something that neither could have built alone.

The partnership is now live. What it delivers will be watched closely by everyone with a stake in where Ethiopian tourism goes next.

Explore more stories on Ethiopian business, tech, and travel right here on our website. Read on.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) And Answers

1. What is the RIDE Ethiopia and Kuriftu Resorts partnership about?

RIDE Ethiopia and Kuriftu Resorts signed a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate RIDE’s transport technology with Kuriftu’s resort services. The goal is to give guests seamless, app-driven mobility between airports, cities, and resort locations across Ethiopia.

2. How will this partnership improve the travel experience for tourists?

Guests staying at Kuriftu properties will gain access to coordinated, reliable transport powered by RIDE’s platform, eliminating the uncertainty of arranging independent travel and making movement between destinations far more efficient.

3. Who is RIDE Ethiopia, and how long have they been operating?

RIDE Ethiopia was founded in 2014 as a subsidiary of Hybrid Designs PLC. Over 11 years, it has grown from a ride-hailing app in Addis Ababa into a full transport platform used by individuals and businesses, offering tools for trip reporting and financial tracking.

4. What destinations does Kuriftu Resorts operate in?

Kuriftu Resorts operates in several of Ethiopia’s most scenic locations, including Lake Tana in the north and the crater lakes of Bishoftu near Addis Ababa. Its properties blend Ethiopian cultural heritage with modern comfort and wellness experiences.

5. How does this deal connect to Ethiopia’s digital economy?

The partnership is an example of tech-driven service integration, a priority for Ethiopia’s ongoing digital transformation agenda. By embedding transport technology into tourism, both companies are helping to move Ethiopia toward a more connected, data-driven service economy.