Creating jobs in sustainable tourism in Suba-Menagesha
| Implementing entity: | Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa | Amount od co-finansing: | PLN 126,849 |
The purpose of the project was to es¬tablish conditions for increasing the number of tourists and thereby improving the income obtained from tourism in the Suba Mengesha park. The park, inhabited by about 13,000 people, covers some 9,000 hectares located on the slopes of an extinct volcano. The implementation of the project contributed to improved management of the site. Additional marketing tools (website, training, booking system, pricing policy) were introduced. Other activities included: investments in basic infrastructure such as cottages for guests, tourist offer of the park. Guests can now call the park, make bookings, and inquire about the necessary information. Use of the campsite has become more comfortable thanks to sanitary facilities, while renovated multi-bed rooms allows school children to visit the park for their outdoor retreats. Tourists are now able to enjoy a higher quality of services. Communications and mutual attitudes between park visitors and local inhabitants improved, and tourist agencies started to become interested in the park. Thanks to the project, 2,600 households from the park area gained an opportunity to obtain additional income from tourism. Local population has already enjoyed benefits thanks to employment during clean-up work, with some hired as park staff and rangers.
Assessing the long-term effects of the projects will be possible after several tourist seasons. The project laid solid foundations for further development of tourism in the region