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We believe community tourism means holidays that support local communities, but we also believe that holidays must give our guests a wonderful time.
Tesfa Tours was set up in 2010 to take on the mantle of promoting the community tourism that has been developed in Ethiopia under Mark Chapman’s guidance since 1999. Our holidays all include a key element of this community tourism.
We work closely with the communities, the guides and other stakeholders to ensure the success of this special ‘project’ which now involves over 20 communities serving food and hosting guests in both the Wollo (Lalibela) and Tigray areas.
Mark first started exploring Ethiopia in 1992/93, and moved to Ethiopia in 1997. He began developing the concept of community tourism in the mountains around Lalibela soon after and has been involved in Tesfa Tours ever since. Despite greying hairs he has passion for exploring the countryside and mountains in Ethiopia, whether on his mountain bike or trekking.
Betty has been working for Tesfa Tours since April 2016 when she joined as sales assistant. She now runs the office and manages the team. Initially Betty worked in horticulture, she decided to switch her career path to tourism and obtained her international tourism diploma at National Aviation college in Addis Ababa. If you want to ask about the flower industry - she is still the office expert, but now is happier advising clients on community tourism treks. She manages by example, really paying attention to our customers needs and wishes. She has also developed a passion for hiking and biking!
Kal worked for us before the pandemic hit, but as business dropped off she left to pursue other options. As the business came back she was happy to rejoin Tesfa Tours and helped as interim cashier and bookings, but is now back in sales. With a degree in Folklore and Culture - she loves the community tourism that is a big part of what we are about, and we are so pleased to have her bubbly enthusiasm back in our team.
Jerry joined us earlier this year, with a degree in accounting & finance from Arba Minch University, she has quickly got to grips with our finances.
Ydne is a gentle and calm person with a big smile. He takes his job of maintaining vehicles very seriously and approaches that with the patience that is his hallmark. He has worked for Tesfa since 2017, and is part of our family now.
In addition to being a great driver, Abel is a fun person to be with, but he takes his responsibility seriously and looks after his passengers well being.
Fitsum started off his career working in our office as a trainee gaining work experience. He always preferred to be outside and guiding clients, and so went on to become an excellent freelance guide in Addis, and as part of our 'family' we always like him to guide our clients visiting the city or nearby attractions.
True community tourism is a partnership between philanthropic businesses and community-run enterprises.
This partnership should enable local communities to generate sustainable improvements in their livelihood through the development of their own tourism-related enterprises, while also contributing to the protection of their physical and cultural environments. Thus community tourism is not merely tourism that benefits the communities, but also tourism in which a part of the product is owned by the communities.
This means that not only do benefits (including income) flow directly to the community, but that they also learn to make decisions and run their own businesses. The result is a dignified and well balanced relationship between the service giver: the community, and the service receiver: the guest.
Mark Chapman began developing the concept of community tourism in the mountains around Lalibela in 1999, when he joined the SOS Sahel team who were working on an integrated rural development programme in Meket Woreda (District).
He envisaged a network of community-run tourism enterprises that would allow tourists to trek across the remarkable landscape, getting closer to the real culture of the Ethiopian highlands, and at the same time put precious money into the local communities for whom farming is becoming ever more precarious a livelihood. During the early days the big challenge was persuading the communities that tourism was an option and that it would bring them benefits. Mark first visited Mequat Mariam in November 2000 and, after lengthy discussion work, started there early in 2002. In late 2002 the SOS Sahel project came to an early end, and with it the Community Tourism pilot project.
In 2003 the donors approached Save the Children UK to continue some of SOS Sahel’s work including the Community Tourism, as part of a livelihood development programme. At the same time Mark and some of the SOS Sahel team members set up a local NGO called T.E.S.F.A. (Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives), and it was to TESFA that Save the Children turned to implement the community tourism component of their project. TESFA was first registered in 2003 as Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives, a non-profit making, local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) or charity.
In late 2009 TESFA re-registered under the new Charities and Civil Society legislation as TESFA Community-based Tourism (or TESFA CbT for short). TESFA CbT had a head office in Addis Ababa and field offices in Lalibela (Wollo) and Adigrat (Tigray). Funding partners who have enabled the Community Tourism to grow: TESFA initially operated as part of a Save the Children (UK) project to develop rural livelihoods in the area with funding the Royal Netherlands Embassy. The project which began in 2004, ran up to/until April 2008.
From 2006 -2010 TESFA CbT received grants from the Irish Embassy/Irish Aid which enabled the setting up of the Guiding Enterprise in Lalibela and a marketing and booking support service in Addis Ababa. The British Embassy also provided grants to develop the marketing and further expand the operation in Meket.
Additional funding was received in 2007/2008 from the German Embassy, www.responsibletravel.com, the Tresillian Trust, ICAP, the Embassy Spouses fund and numerous clients and supporters who enabled TESFA to extend the network of community tourism sites in Meket Woreda and on to Abuna Yoseph where TESFA worked/was working in collaboration with Frankfurt Zoological Society to help conserve the fragile environment on this mountain home to the threatened and endemic Ethiopia Wolf. In addition, many individuals made donations to the TESFA cause, which enabled them to continue the community work. A big thank you to everyone who contributed.
In 2010 Mark left TESFA CbT to set up Tesfa Tours with the intention of continuing the marketing of the Tesfa Community Tourism.
In March 2012 TESFA CbT ceased to operate/closed.
Tesfa Tours was able to provide guests with a continued booking service and continue its marketing of the Tesfa product. Tesfa Tours forged a link with Village Ways in developing and promoting community tourism in Ethiopia from 2014-2017, and in partnership with VW, developed guesthouses in the Simien mountains with funding from African Wildlife Foundation.
Another long term connection with Community forest management experts SUNARMA, has also resulted in Tesfa Tours marketing and taking bookings for community owned guesthouses in Wof Washa forest on the Rift Valley escarpment in North Shoa just S.E. of Debre Berhan.
My 19 year old son and I did a three day trek west of Lalibela and absolutely loved it. The walking wasn’t too challenging which was a good thing as we are not used to the altitude. The scenery is stunning, the communities we lodged with welcoming, the food was varied and always delicious. We were really well cared for and deeply touched to be allowed to visit peoples homes, to see how they live, cook and care for their animals. I particularly loved watching the chickens climb up to roost on a purpose built mud shelf above the cooking area! We were delighted to find a family of Gelada baboons digging for breakfast beside us as we set off one morning. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see the pastural face of Africa and come up close to its wonderfully rich wild life. Thank you Tesfa.
Today Thursday 21 November is St Mikael’s day here in Ethiopia – Hedar (the month) Mikael. It’s one of numerous big saints days where the holy tabot is paraded out. But for this day there is a tradition to burn rubbish and that the smoke will take the evil away. For more details see this […]
The UK FCDO travel advice has just been changed to show all the core areas of Tigray (away from disputed territories and boundaries) as green. At Tesfa Tours we have been sending clients there to trek at community-owned guesthouses and see the wonders of the ancient city of Axum and there hidden rock churches of […]