Country: Ethiopia

Organization: IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS

Year the initiative began: 2005

Project Website: www.imageethiopia.com

Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions:

• Main barrier addressed: Corporate monolithic approach to tourism
• Main insight addressed: Incorporate sustainable practices

What is the goal of your innovation?
With the help of tourism, try to change the negative image of Ethiopia to a more positive and versatile image that pays adequate tribute to the intricacy of the country.

How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
In our effort to transform Ethiopia from an underrated travel destination to an appealing one, we are trying to promote Ethiopia as the complex country it is. Neither do we intend to neglect that it is still one of the least developed countries in the world, nor do we only focus on the critical facets of the country. We believe that responsible tourism can play a vital role in Ethiopia's development! Having this in mind, we operate tours as diverse and many-sided as Ethiopia itself and keep a close eye on social and environmental implications of tourism. We partner with local service providers, focus on environment-friendly travelling, income-generating and sustainable mechanism for our host communities and support local, small-scale NGOs and development projects.

Describe your approach in detial. How is it innovative?
"What image comes to your mind when you think about Ethiopia?" This is the core question of any efforts in promoting Ethiopia as a tourist destination. IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS acknowledged that - simply put - Ethiopia has a serious image problem. We therefore set out to change Ethiopia's negative image - as a place of civic unrest, poverty and famine - to a more positive and multifaceted image that pays adequate tribute to the complexity of the country. We believe that tourism can both play a vital role in this endeavour and in the general development of the country. Operating tours to all parts of Ethiopia, we invite tourists to come to a country that is yet unknown to most people. An important part of our effort to transform Ethiopia from an underrated travel destination to a fascinating and sought-after one is the promotion of the rather well-known tourist attractions of the so-called Historic Route in the north of the country, like Lalibela, Axum, Gondar, Lake Tana/ Bahir Dar. We are, however, constantly exploring new routes and sites and have become experts in off-the-beaten-track tours, for example to remote rock-hewn churches or to the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest places on earth. All our tours are based on principles of responsible tourism, emphasizing environment-friendly traveling as well as income-generating and sustainable prospects for the Ethiopian people. We wish the true beneficiaries of tourism to be the Ethiopian people.

What types of partnerships or professional developement would be most beneficial in spearding your innovation?
Partnerships with tour companies and individuals within Ethiopia and around the world. Alternative media coverage.

In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Make people want to travel to Ethiopia, make tourism help to transform Ethiopia's image and ultimately help the development of the country.

Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
If we are talking about IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS as business then our degree of success is visible in our accounting books. If we are, however, talking about IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS as a change agent for the development of Ethiopia then the measurement of success is not easy to capture. Is the fact that most of our tourists come back a 2nd or 3rd time to see more of Ethiopia a sign of success? Is the fact that our tourists recommend travelling Ethiopia to family and friends a sign of success? Is the fact that many a tourist stays involved in development projects we introduced them to while travelling a sign of success? Is the fact that journalists who did a tour with us write insightful articles about Ethiopia that focus on the complexity of the country rather than on its negative reputation a sign of impact? As to our understanding, we contribute to a sustainable development of the country by generating income for the Ethiopian people, by operating on fair prices for all parties involved, by sticking to ecological rules, by supporting local service providers and NGOs and by promoting Ethiopia’s multi-faceted cultural heritage. We hope that the negative preconception of Ethiopia will ultimately be changed to a more versatile picture.

How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
We haven’t had a single traveller who wasn’t surprised about Ethiopia’s cultural significance and its natural beauty. And we haven’t had a single traveller who walked away without being touched by the country and its people. Many people stay in touch with Ethiopia in one way or another. Some tourists return to see more parts of the country. Others send family and friends to discover the country. Some stay in close touch with students they sponsor. Others raise funds for local development projects they visited during their tour. How do we do that? We think the question would have to be: How does Ethiopia do that? Because it is the magic of Ethiopia that does that. We just promote the country. We just show Ethiopia as it is: as a country rich in history, culture and nature, as an unfortunate country struck by poverty, famine and war. As a country definitely worth discovering.

In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
We are an Ethiopian-owned tour company and partner with local communities and service providers to enable them to generate sustainable improvements in their livelihoods through the development of their own (tourism related) enterprises, while also contributing to the protection of their physical and cultural environments. A big part in this endeavour is to raise awareness for the value of the country and its historical sights, cultural mosaic, natural uniqueness. Moreover, we employ local tour guides and drivers who, by perceiving Ethiopia as a country worth visiting, worth showing, develop stronger ties to their country and become sensitive in preserving their culture and nature. The same is true for many a community across the country.

Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
See answer above and below

Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
Yes, our tour company is financially and organizationally sustainable. Yet we are regularly training and supporting young graduates trying to set foot into the field of tourism. We believe that giving adolescents a fulfilling job opportunity is crucial in overcoming poverty and despair. By empowering young students and helping them to (re-)discover or learn about the value and significance of their country in terms of culture, heritage, nature, preservation of resources etc., tourism in Ethiopia can play a vital role in the country’s development.

How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
Our initiative is fully financed by IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS.

What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
In order to develop a responsible and sustainable approach to tourism in Ethiopia that is significant and powerful enough to ultimately change Ethiopia’s negative image, all tour operators, tour guides, tourism related enterprises etc. would have to work hand in hand. We would like to establish a code of ethics for the field and hope to find support among other tour operators, guides and service providers. Furthermore, we hope that insightful and conscientious media coverage about Ethiopia will help our venture.

What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
You could probably break down the main barriers in changing Ethiopia’s negative image to: 1.) Ethiopia’s disastrous international image -- misconception of Ethiopia that doesn’t portrait the country as one of interest for tourists, 2.) Ethiopia’s underdeveloped infrastructure -- lack of infrastructure, lack of tourism related service providers and competition that could ensure quality (such as decent hotels, restaurants etc.), 3.) International media coverage about Ethiopia is mostly not well-balanced -- negative news only

What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
As somebody who loves Ethiopia and its people, as somebody who values the country’s history, its natural beauty and diverse cultural heritage, as somebody who experienced how a war with a neighbouring country, how droughts and famine, how wrong political leadership, how poverty have harmed the country and more so its people, as an Ethiopian, how can you not try to change the doomed fate of this country of yours? It breaks my heart to see and hear what people think of Ethiopia. I don’t just mean Ethiopia’s negative reputation outside the country, everything starts from within. It makes me suffer to see how my fellow country men and women perceive our country. Full of problems, one of the least developed and poor countries, not civilized, not worth anything except escaping from it as soon as you get a chance. This is how it all started. I studied tourism because I thought it might be a way to make an actual change. I worked as a tour guide and saw how people from outside my own culture fall in love with my country as much as I have always hoped for. I founded my own tour company and hope to show Ethiopians and other nationals alike that there’s much more to Ethiopia than poverty and despair. I set out to hear answers. Answers to this question: “What image comes to your mind when you think about Ethiopia?” I need to hear more than drought, war, poverty and famine.

Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
I was born in the rural town of Adwa, in the province of Tigray in northern Ethiopia near the border with Eritrea almost 30 years ago. I spent my childhood in an agricultural setting: collecting firewood, fetching water, tending herds, and harvesting crops. I attended the local elementary and junior high schools and completed three years of high school before moving to eastern Ethiopia for my final year, a move necessitated by the border war with Eritrea. Studying at the Maichew Technical College, I decided to move to the capital to pursue a degree in tourism. While studying tourism I served an apprenticeship with one of the more reputable Ethiopian tour operators, spending time both in the office and in the field. Thanks to the combination of studying and working I became very knowledgeable about the history, culture, religions, fauna and flora of my country. In 2005, I founded my own tour company, IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS, hoping to be able to contribute to the development of my country.

Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on teh competition homepage.
"What image comes to your mind when you think about Ethiopia?" The day answers to this question contain more words than civic unrest, poverty or famine is the day that we may be on the right track. Our tour company IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS set out to change Ethiopia’s widely spread bad reputation to a more positive and multifaceted image that pays adequate tribute to the complexity of the country. While promoting Ethiopia’s rich historical and cultural heritage, we do not intend to neglect the fact that Ethiopia is still one of the least developed countries worldwide. Yet we believe that tourism can both play a vital role in improving Ethiopia’s image and in the general development of the country. Operating tours to all parts of Ethiopia, we invite tourists to see for themselves “what Ethiopia is”, to discover a country that is yet unknown to most people. All our tours are based on principles of responsible tourism, emphasizing environment-friendly travelling as well as income-generating and sustainable prospects for the Ethiopian people. What keeps us going is the vision to transform Ethiopia from an underrated travel destination to a fascinating and sought-after one.

Contact Information
Mr. Asrat Kahsay
Tour Operator
IMAGE ETHIOPIA TOURS
P.O. Box 2137, Code 1250, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
info@imageethiopia.com