Mongolia’s Ger to Ger Foundation – Nomad Centered, Community-Based, Cultural Eco Tourism Development
This entry has been selected as a finalist in the
Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place - Sustaining the Future of Destinations competition.
Responsible Community Mobilization for Sustainable Livelihoods
Ger to Ger systematically enables rural communities to responsibly and sustainably tap the tourism industry to generate sustainable livelihoods through vocational training (Foundation) and market linkage development (Agency); to which within 3 to 5 years community based tourism will become well rooted. Rural communities, particularly herder groups in league with rural single service suppliers (rural drivers, guides, other human resources and businesses), provide travel services and products to the travel industry. Ger to Ger productively utilizes herders and their existing assets to develop cultural eco travel products ...
About You
Contact Information
Title
Mr.
First name
Zanjan
Last name
Fromer
Your job title
Executive Director
Name of your organization
Ger to Ger Foundation & Agency
Organization type
NGO (community development) & Agency (social enterprise that represents the communities)
Annual budget/currency
60,000USD
Mailing address
Arizona Plaza, Suite 11, Baruun Selbe 5/3, 1st Khoroo Chengeltei District
Telephone number
(976-11) 313336
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Mongolia
Website
Email address
Alternative email address
Alternative email address
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
Arizona Plaza Building, Suite 11, Baruun Selbe 5/3 1st Khoroo, Chingeltei District
City
Ulaanbaatar
State/Province
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Mongolia
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of tourist experience and educational benefit to tourists , Quality of benefit to residents for the destination , Quality of tourism management by destination leadership , Quality of stewardship of the destination.
Organization size
Small (1 to 100 employees)
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Tourism-related business
Year innovation began
2005
Place your video embed code here from YouTube, Google Video and other video sharing websites. How to embed a video from YouTube.
Indicate sector in which you principally work
History, Living culture, Destination aesthetics, Indigenous people, Adventure, Education, General destination stewardship/management, Other.
Name Your Project
Mongolia’s Ger to Ger Foundation – Nomad Centered, Community-Based, Cultural Eco Tourism Development
Describe Your Idea
Responsible Community Mobilization for Sustainable Livelihoods
Ger to Ger systematically enables rural communities to responsibly and sustainably tap the tourism industry to generate sustainable livelihoods through vocational training (Foundation) and market linkage development (Agency); to which within 3 to 5 years community based tourism will become well rooted. Rural communities, particularly herder groups in league with rural single service suppliers (rural drivers, guides, other human resources and businesses), provide travel services and products to the travel industry. Ger to Ger productively utilizes herders and their existing assets to develop cultural eco travel products ...
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation? Please describe in one sentence the kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Contribute towards sustainable poverty alleviation, rural economic development and community initiated health, cultural and natural resource management through tourism ‘catalyst’.
Please write an overview of your project. Include how your approach supports or embodies geotourism or destination stewardship. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the map located on the competition homepage.
Responsible Community Mobilization for Sustainable Livelihoods
Ger to Ger systematically enables rural communities to responsibly and sustainably tap the tourism industry to generate sustainable livelihoods through vocational training (Foundation) and market linkage development (Agency); to which within 3 to 5 years community based tourism will become well rooted. Rural communities, particularly herder groups in league with rural single service suppliers (rural drivers, guides, other human resources and businesses), provide travel services and products to the travel industry. Ger to Ger productively utilizes herders and their existing assets to develop cultural eco travel products that results in increased incomes for rural families and their communities.
Explain in detail why your approach is innovative
Herders/Rural Communities/Environment/Industry Partners (Public-Private Partnerships)
The project is inclusive of the poor and the extreme poor by mobilizing herders into productive economic activity. Rather, they contribute their time and labor by establishing and maintaining the route, and later participate in the trainers of trainers programme to prepare other groups to develop additional routes. These rural communities are active in self-monitoring to assess local opportunities so as to work with the project and partners to develop micro and small enterprises. Public and private sector partnerships are fostered for business enabling environments that encourage further rural economic diversification, new labor market creation and promotion of community services in line with greater industry demands to ensure sustainability.
Example: even a homeless man with an upright and honest character, with proper knowledge and some applied experience, can walk and guide visitors from point “A” to point “B” safely.
It’s the responsibility of the Organization as it matures, in cooperation with the local inhabitants, to find new and creative ways to tap the “global” market and use this massive social economic power responsibly to systematically materialize the vision of their community’s development.
Impact
Describe the degree of success you have had to date. How do you measure, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impact on sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How has it transformed or contributed to the power of place or demonstrated the sustainability of tourism? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
Surveyed clients responded nomadic families, scenery, and nomadic methods of travel were outstanding. 98% percent noted hospitality, traditional customs, tourist safety were excellent, and 60% rated families as good. Travellers choose Ger to Ger to visit nomadic families, support the local community and value-for-money. Nomadic families are satisfied with the pre-season vocational training and fall seasons’ SWOT Development Workshops.
> Lonely Planet's 2008 Mongolia Guidebook: "As the most innovative tourism concept in Mongolia, the Ger to Ger Programme should be near the top of every traveller's wish list"
> UNESCAP cited Ger to Ger as one of the region's effective social economic regional tourism case study for Asian and the Pacific at the 63rd UNESCAP Session
2008 ECONOMIC BENEFIT GENERATED BY 492 TRAVELERS = 169,904 USD (including incomes for rural businesses, transportation, and etc).
Province----Nomadic Families-------------Generated Revenues USD------------# of Travellers
Arhangai--------12-----------------------------------13,749.49-----------------------------------138
Dundgovi--------15------------------------------------8,405.98------------------------------------76
Tuv-----------------4------------------------------------13,180.29-----------------------------------176
Bulgan------------3--------------------------------------9,133.28-----------------------------------102
Note: Before Ger to Ger, annual cash income w/o tourism was averaged at 400 USD and less per household
Mrs. Battsetseg, rural facilitator and nomadic family
‘Besides increasing income, I was a cancer patient - tourism has paid for my surgery.’
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your work, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
> Annual rural spring and fall training workshops for nomadic families, local businesses, drivers, guides, etc.
> Developed new rural job markets for nomadic herder groups and their communities.
> Establishing community-based Info/Ticketing Centers
> Support local handicraft cooperatives
> Promote community travel products, rural public transportation and travel networks for travelers.
> Mapping of service suppliers to strengthen social economic sector linkages between demand and supply chains.
> Support industry knowledge sharing for local development of tourism facilities to meet industry demands.
> Assist in facilitation of herder/community-led initiatives that are aimed at rural health, education and environmental management.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
arryout pre-departure Responsible Tourism Orientations Lessons for independent travelers and tour operator tourists
> We Mongolize the travelers instead of westernizing the nomadic families and community members.
> We share lessons learned and over 16 years of in country experiences with the travelers
> We share destination information that includes the geography, culture of the families of the region, climate, travel methods, rural health and safety, language, etc., of the locality.
Describe how your work helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues.
> Developed community tourism portal (www.GertoGer.org) that promotes Ger to Ger herders and their community product and services for travelers.
> Developed custom designed, in-country, mandatory pre-departure Responsible Tourism Orientation Lessons and handbook for travelers that covers all aspects of travel, culture, geography, rural health & safety, language, etc for travelers.
> Carry out pre-season Vocational training Workshops and fall SWOT Development Workshops for nomadic families and rural communities.
> Implemented domestic and international monitor and evaluation methods that allow cross industry feedback, analysis, consultation and incorporation via rural facilitators with community members and nomadic family network groups.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
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.
Ger to Ger Community Eco Tourism Agency (Social Enterprise) handles the business linkages which generates incomes for the rural communities and nomadic families. The Agency also uses some of its revenues to cover some of the overhead costs of the Foundation to ensure more funds are spent towards development initiatives.
Ger to Ger Foundation generates Community Project Proposals with its rural communities that are sent out for fundraising via www.Give2Asia.org or other overseas counterparts.
Ulaanbaatar Office:
> 3 full-time
> 3 seasonal
> student interns
> public-private partnerships
Rural locations and general beneficiary types:
> 5 Provinces
> Regional facilitators
> 45 nomadic families (average size 5 persons, approx. 225 household members)
> Orphanages
> Public schools and students
> Handicraft cooperatives
> Drivers and public transportation
> Guides and translators
> Monasteries
> Museums
> Fine arts
> Rural food & drink and accommodation sectors
> Pharmacies and clinics
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? Is there a potential demand for your innovation?
Ger to Ger has reached basic level of sustainability. This initiative has been financed on extremely low budgets (skeleton budgets) over the past couple of years and this created many barriers for our development works as we always had to be postponed many initiatives till the next season owing to the lack of finances.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
As Ger to Ger has just reached a base-level of operational sustainability, the majority of our funding no longer comes from donors, as of today we operate based on our Social Enterprise linkages with the greater tourism industry; Ger to Ger relies on the private sector (travelers, tour operators and agencies) to maintain its existence. The amount of revenues generated only allow slow expansion till our market share becomes more mature; as of today, for greater and more rapid expansion of Ger to Ger it requires medium level of social investments or sponsorships to reduce some technical or operational costs.
Some areas include:
> Travel costs by land and air in Mongolia are very expensive to remote locations where development initiatives are required.
> Maintenance costs for our vehicle repairs that is used for research, training, monitor and evaluation works.
> Procuring cheap land to establish Community Information and Ticketing Centers (CITCs) and its furnishings.
> Long term funding for multiple rural destination development, management and expansion works – long term funding doesn’t necessarily mean heavy budgets.
What is your plan to expand or further develop your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
As Ger to Ger grows and matures, it’s becoming a medium for travelers and international tour operators that are seeking a “Responsible” Social Enterprise partner, and “value added component” to Mongolia’s tourism industry.
To diversify and strengthen Mongolia’s rural tourism industry’s job markets, to develop into a private sector supported public sector development initiatives with travel routes, rural information/ticketing kiosks that allow greater systematic involvement of communities as well as to fulfill the much needed public travel infrastructure, and to advocate ‘responsible and sustainable’ destination development and management that allows greater community and industry involvement.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
Zanjan Fromer
Author and Executive Director
Film Maker, Mass Media
Community and Regional Tourism Development
Mr. Fromer is an Alaskan Native Indian who has been residing in Mongolia for over 16 years. For more than 20 years, Mr. Fromer has been working in the tourism industry professionally both in Alaska and in Mongolia. Based on his tribal knowledge and industry experience, Mr. Fromer has redesigned the concept of community tourism to ensure that its implementation and sustainable growth would be in line with the social cultural frameworks of Mongolia's rural nomadic tribes.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell the Changemakers and media communities what prompted you to start this initiative.
Half of Mongolia’s population are herders of which 65% are living at or below the poverty line. In comparison, the national poverty rate is at 36%. Rural poverty has been exacerbated by severe 1999-2001 dzuds, extreme winters, that caused the death of nearly 10 million livestock reducing the total number of the nation’s livestock resources from 33.6 million to 23.9 million by the end of 2002. In addition, inadequate pasture management has resulted in advance desertification and water shortages that will require many years for the environment to recover. Alternative and complementing sources of incomes that cultivate herder’s assets into non-agricultural and non-livestock income to lessen economic and natural shocks and smooth the effects of seasonality need to be developed.
At present, there still exists substantial public private partnership gaps between government, tourism projects, NGOs (i.e. policy, information development) and rural communities - that possess untapped tourism assets (i.e. mode of travel, experiencing culture). Despite the ongoing works of Ger to Ger, many rural communities and herders lack the ability and understanding on how to organize, develop and market competitive tourism services and products. Private tour companies are interested in rural community development insofar as the inexpensive outsourcing of basic food services, horse riding and a handful of other activities; these activities reaches less than 1% of Mongolia’s nomads. To alleviate rural poverty and prevent others from slipping into poverty, it is critical that there is a mobilization of the industry to develop an interlacing rural tourism infrastructure that responsibly fulfills private sector needs, while addressing the needs of sustainable community growth. Furthermore by cultivating Mongolia’s natural and herder resources, rural communities are engaging in income generating activities that is generating towards enhance public-private partnerships towards economic development, health and education development, and natural resource management in rural areas where Ger to Ger operates.
Describe some unique tourist experiences that your approach provides. Be specific; give illustrative examples.
Nomadic Cultural Eco Adventures
Travel Mongolia's great outdoors with nomads that guide you along their nomadic trails with horses, camels, ox carts, or even trek from one nomadic family to the next over vast and epic landscapes to visit, overnight and home-stay with genuine Mongolian nomadic families in the mountains, along lush river valleys or deep in Gobi Desert all year round. By doing so you are directly benefiting rural nomadic groups and their local communities in their efforts to produce non-commercialized outdoor cultural adventures that allows them to generate greatly needed alternative incomes.
Traveling to these remote locations also provides an economic stimulus for government and private investors to increase and diversify rural services and job markets (health, pharmacies, education, food & drink, etc.) and infrastructure (fuel and oil, better roads, accommodations, etc.) in accordance with the growing industry demands; thus a solid foundation for sustainable rural livelihoods.
Through tourism incomes, rural nomadic herder groups and their communities are developing a greater sense of appreciation and understanding of their roles as:
> Custodians of nomadic culture and heritage.
> Guardians of local environment (income asset).
> Nurturers of Travel Industry Partnerships.
> Implementers of Millenniums Development Goals
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
> Partnership with registered charity organizations in European countries for fundraising works.
> Partnership with travel agencies that wish to incorporate Ger to Ger into their Mongolia travel itineraries.
> Partnership with media agencies that are interested in human interest stories of nomadic life and overcoming economic, environmental and political challenges to maintain their traditional lifestyle in today’s globalization.
> More Goodwill Ambassadors to champion our cause in Mongolia.
> Corporate sponsors for technical equipments and vehicles (Toyota, Apple, HP, etc.) - so we can use those saved funds towards development and rural field works.
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Comments
Dear Mr. Fromer,
Could you please give me some examples of the micro enterprises that you have developed? How many people have taken part in your vocational training?
You mention that one of the key barriers is the maintenance costs for your vehicle repairs. What if you were to open a vocational training center for auto workers so you could internally repair your own vehicles while also having another income generation component? This would give people jobs, provide a service to the broader community and make it easier and cheaper for you to fix your vehicles.
If this idea interests you, I encourage you to check out this entry by an Ashoka Fellow who has set up something similar: http://www.changemakers.com/es/node/8677.
Keep up the great work!
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
Dear Ms. Frasz,
There are quite a few of micro enterprises that we have either assisted in the establishment of/or support the works of project cooperatives that have been finished by other donors projects that have finished:
1. market linkage development for handicraft cooperatives
2. market linkage development for sew cooperatives - cashmere, camel and yak wools, etc.
3. market linkage development for rural driver units
4. rural ger (yurt) guesthouses in communities
5. rural nomadic festivals that are contracted by private sector companies via Ger to Ger
6. market linkage development for rural nomadic families
7. market linkage development for rural food and drink
8. market linkage and skill development for rural single service providers, etc.
As for developing vehicle repair enterprises, we do have these in Mongolia, but unfortunately my repairs are more towards parts that don't exist in rural areas and always have to be purchased and stored for when repairs are required.
Thank you for the recommendations, I have going to have a look at it now.
All the best, and thank you for your kind remarks :)
Cheers!
Zanjan
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Executive Director
The Ger to Ger Foundation
Nomad Centered Community/Regional Social Economic Development via Cultural Eco Tourism
Lonely Planet's 2008 Mongolia Guidebook: "As the most innovative tourism concept in Mongolia, the Ger to Ger Program
Ger to Ger is the most innovative and effective project in MOngolia.
Desde Uruguay ,en la zona norte del país , reciban mis saludos y los de mis compañeros y les deseamos mucho éxito para un proyecto tan bonito que contermpla a las poblaciones rurales de lugares muy remotos del mundo.
Adelante con el proyecto y muchos éxitos!!
Lady Rodriguez
www.biouruguay.org
http://bio-uruguay.blogspot.com
MR Zanjan Fromer,felicitaciones por estar entre los mejores, desde Uruguay,en la zona norte del pais llegue a Ud nuestros deseos de desarrollo de un bonito proyecto que contempla poblaciones rurales de tan lejano pais.SUERTE!!
Lady Rodriguez
www.biouruguay.org
http://bio-uruguay.blogspot.com
On July 1, 2009 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. If possible, please take the time to respond to some of the provocative questions and issues that were raised by the judges. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team.
“This entry is geotourism at its best, it is scalable and sustainable. It could have a huge impact. Mongolia is on the tipping point because of the Japanese and Korean tourism boom. They are having a real struggle in the Gobi, trying to maintain their culture and a program like this at this particular point could help maintain the culture and improve geotourism. This is going on right at the right time!”
“I am excited about its potential for its marketing. Could “Ger-to-Ger” be packaged and marketed as a brand so that there could be huge translatable success?
It’s a catchy nice name backed by a solid foundation. The inter-village horse trekking is a great image and nice interplay of culture and fun. This program is meaningful for both local nomads and grass land biodiversity.”
- Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” Judges: National Geographic Society, United Nations Foundation, Tribe Wanted, The Green Belt Movement, Lonely Planet, Southwest Forestry University.
These are some of my thoughts
Greetings to all interested and the creative
I have many ideas useful for all people derived from nature and help the nature .I want of economic decision-makers and owners of capital to manufacture and marketing and advertising
the water
ideas to maintain the water
ideas to bring drinking water from nature
ideas to take the advantage from the user water
Energy
The exploitation of wind energy in the home and farm
The exploitation of solar energy in the home and farm
Exploitation of human energy
I have ideas in the invention and manufacture of machine
That make the owner will be free and happy and reduce costs in everyday life
This machine helps the owner in the availability of money
And for this machine many features and functions needed for every home and every human being seeks to liberate the needs
Parts of this machine is available in the market by 80 percent
I want to sell these ideas after the translation from Arabic into English
I want every one needs to be free own, especially energy and water and rationalization to maintain them and he learn how to preserve them Forever
i am Teacher has more than 20 years
I am a tourist guide i am speaking a little English and I work guide in the desert and I can walk in the desert and the help of this GPS
I want to make the tourism the title of the world peace
and This is the travel and tourism company
hfilk@yahoo.com
www.Smraaljanoob.com
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i am mohamed from libya
hfilk@yahoo.com
www.Smraaljanoob.com
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