Ethiopia has 14 natural, cultural, and mixed property heritages registered on UNESCO which made the country a popular tourist destination. Due to its diversity and popularity it attracts many people from around the world which has a massive positive impact on the economic development of Ethiopia in recent years. In 2019, the travel and tourism industry contributed 9% to the GDP of Ethiopia. At present, this sector already has created 2.2 million employments which account for one in every 12 jobs in the country. While Ethiopia’s diverse physical and cultural resources provide excellent opportunities for the further development of tourism, it is struggling to prepare an expert workforce and management capacity to ensure the full utilization of its resources.
Besides the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, the Covid-19 pandemic became a major drawback for the growth of the rapidly expanding sector. Though the government has reopened Ethiopia’s tourism sector from November 2020, it is struggling to ensure a sustainable recovery due to a lack of necessary skills and insufficient training programmes to meet industry demands.
In cooperation with the Ethiopian Tour-Operators Association (ETOA) Monpays will establish a training center in a hotel in Addis Ababa. A total of 480 trainees will receive training in 4 job profiles. After completion of the training and successfully passing a national-level examination, participants will have the opportunity to receive national accredited certificates. 240 trainees will receive job opportunities within the project.
Monpays will implement a Global Travel and Tourism Programme at 10 partner schools within and outside Addis Ababa to ensure a proper pipeline of interested young people from the root level. A total of 300 students and 50 teachers from these schools will receive training under this programme.
Covid-19 safety protocols, which have to be implemented in the field for the Tourists‘ trips, will be subject in the training center – employees and representatives of ETOA as well as the trainees will learn and accept the safety protocols. Also, it will be subject to the Global Travel and Tourism Programme at the 10 partner schools.
