Community Tourism Ethiopia

Ethiopia's beautiful nature, wildlife, and historic attractions appeal to tourists. To attract higher-spending European visitors, it is important that the tourism sector is sustainable. So, CBI has started the Community Tourism Ethiopia project to support the sector's sustainable development. 

The project focuses on involving local communities in the tourism value chain. This will create more jobs and income. It also respects Ethiopia's natural and cultural heritage.

Project goals

The main goal of the project is to involve the Ethiopian community in the tourism sector. We want to:

• Develop and promote high-quality community-based tourism (CBT) products that meet the needs of the European market;
• Diversify Ethiopia's tourism products to attract travellers that value sustainability;
• Strengthen community engagement in the creation of new tourism products;
• Get the support of the government and local institutions. This way, CBT will stay integrated in the tourism sector.  

This will help the sector become resilient and sustainable.

Project activities 

The project focuses on the following activities to achieve these goals: 

• Training on the creation and marketing of CBT products. Local communities and tour operators can follow them to build their capacity;
• Developing best practices for CBT in Ethiopia;
• Connecting Ethiopian CBT products with European and international tour operators and markets;
• Supporting the Ethiopian Ministry of Tourism in creating a sustainable CBT management framework;
• Promoting Ethiopian community tourism at international events such as ITB Berlin.

The project runs from 2025 to 2028.  We continuously monitor its project's impact and make adjustments to increase effectiveness. We do this together with tour operators, community leaders and ministry representatives.

Collaborate with us

CBI invites Ethiopian tour operators, community organisations, tourism authorities and sustainability-focused institutions to join this initiative. This way, you can contribute to the growth of sustainable tourism in Ethiopia. You can send any questions to services@cbi.eu.