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About Tesfa Tours

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A focus on Community Tourism

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.

Meet our Team

Mark Chapman

Founder

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 continues to enjoy exploring the countryside and mountains in Ethiopia.

Betty

Betelhem Tesfaye

Office Manager, head of Sales

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 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.

Teshale, Tesfa sales staff

Teshale Abebe

Senior Sales Consultant

Teshale is one of most experienced team members now. He first joined Tesfa Tours on a work experience while studying tourism at one of Addis Ababa's well known institutions. He went on to join us on a full time basis in May 2018. He is dedicated to developing the right itinerary for our clients, and has a passion for the community tourism.

Tamralech - Tesfa Tours Cashier

Tamralech Gitachew

Cashier (on maternity leave)

Tamir as we all know her, started working for Tesfa Tours in May 2019 as our bookings coordinator. However with the COVID down-turn this job ceased to exist. However with a new degree in accounting she has taken over our Cashier role.

Kalkidan

Kalkidan Tariku

Cashier (Temp) and Bookings

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. 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.

Ydnekachew Kbru

Ydnekachew Kbru

Mechanic and driver

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.

Abel Seyoum

Abel Seyoum

Driver

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

Fitsum Kostre

Freelance Guide

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.

The Ethos of Community Tourism

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.

A History of Tesfa Tours

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.


Setting up the NGO

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.


Moving into the private sector and further expansion

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.

Our Timeline

  • April 1999
  • Community tourism idea conceived

  • January 2002
  • Mequat Mariam project starts

  • February 2003
  • Tesfa NGO is born

  • October 2004
  • Brad Pitt stays at Mequat Mariam

  • June 2009
  • Re-registering the NGO

  • March 2010
  • First guests to Tigray/Agame Mnts

  • October 2010
  • Tesfa Tours begins operation

  • March 2012
  • Tesfa NGO comes to an end

  • February 2016
  • First guests to Janamora/Simiens

  • November 2017
  • First guests to Wof Washa/Shoa

Stunning. I couldn't fault our trip – well-organised community tourism, awe-inspiring views, life-long memories. I would love to do another.

Kevin Beer | January 2014