GER TO GER'S COUNTRY MISSION

TO SUSTAINABLY DEVELOP MONGOLIA'S TOURISM INDUSTRY'S RURAL HUMAN RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURES FROM THE BOTTOM UP SO THAT IT BECOMES MORE EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR NATION WIDE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Ger to Ger’s Country Mission is to contribute to the systematic alleviation of poverty through tourism. Approximately 90% of revenues generated through tourism goes directly towards creating enabling environments for rural social economic development that allows the programme to sustainably work with rural nomadic herder groups, rural communities and other initiatives in supporting activities in rural healthcare for nomads, environmental protection, mongolia's tourism industry development, etc.

Within less than 30 months of the projects launch, Ger to Ger routes in Arhangai, Bulgan, Dundgovi and Tuv provinces have generated over $200,000USD and has fully recovered all previous granted amounts to the programme in economic benefits for Mongolia and its rural communities. In addition to economic development, the project is building the local human resources capacity to enable communities to develop and facilitate their own result oriented social economic initiatives in health, education and environmental fields that are in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

The establishment of the Ger to Ger National Network will ensure long-term pro-active training of stake holders and financial activity development to deal with relevant rural poverty concerns through developing rural human assets, job markets and micro-enterprises through tourism’s social economic incentives.

Ger to Ger currently operates in the following Provinces of Mongolia:

1. Arhangai Province - summer 2005 launched
2. Tuv Province - winter 2005-06 launched
3. Dundgovi Province - spring 2006 launched
4. Bulgan Province - spring 2007 launched

5. Uvurkhangai Province - spring 2008 will be launched
6. Selenge Province - spring 2008 will be launched

MONGOLIA'S TOURISM INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT:
Nomad-centered tourism and communications

Travel Infrastructures and Communications Development between nomads and their central administrations is essential toward rural/regional social economic development in hard to reach areas. Ger to Ger’s aim is to institutionalize rural and regional herder and community social and economic development frameworks for tourism, communications and herder/community-led development programs.

Implementation of Ger to Ger rural and regional Nomad-Centered Communications Networks, that expanding beyond the backbone of Ger to Ger travel routes, aim at exploring new levels of efficient and effective rural and regional social economic development. This network supports by enhancing regional transparency and effective project coordination.

RURAL HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR INDUSTRY GROWTH:
Herder and community-led development

Train and provide resources through Info Gers and social enterprise methodologies so that herders and their communities can “pro-actively” initiate Small Action Plans (SAPs) to deal with health, education, environment, natural resource management, etc issues. This ensures diversification of skills and incomes based on a long-term, non-seasonal, non-touristic, SAP development towards better sustainable livelihoods.

Ger to Ger is continuing to work in partnership with relevant local, national and international organizations and institutions by means of mutual cooperation and coordination.

HERDER OUTCOMES OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
• Herders have successfully mobilized their assets into productive economic use with in-kind support (i.e. labor) rather than financial investment so as to include the poor and the extreme poor.
• Herders have developed their niche travel services for budget individual travelers and tour opertors, and are effectively carrying out their services to generate alternative incomes.
• Herders are a human-based infrastructure that is contributing to the development of the tourism industry, and the transportation of goods, supplies and information within their network.
• Herders act as a value added, non-competitive resource for budget individual travelers, guesthouses and tour operators.
• Herders have reaffirmed their commitment to continue activities in 2007 and 2008.

"COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND TICKETING CENTER" OUTCOMES

Ger to Ger's "Bottom Up Approach" Concept Map Legend:
1. Stars (Nomadic Herder Level) = Locations of Nomad Centered Tourism Initiatives

2. CITCs (Community Level) = Community Level is critical to ensure strong long-term sustainable involvement and support for sustainable tourism. CITCs are created to ensure some level of equal market access is generated and systematically managed for local communities that wish to link to the tourism market.

3. Travel Routes (Regional Level) = Regional routes supports in-country destination and new product development that enhances the social economic linkages between herders, communities, provinces and private-public partners thus becoming a true "country product".

4. Public-Private Partnerships (Country Sustainable Tourism Level) = Ger to Ger to believes that partnerhsips both social economical and environmental can be successfully achieved if their were a greater awarness in this one word concept "Partnerships". As a direct result it is often the case that among donors, projects, businesses, etc., they are extremely competitive and over look many opportunities that can be generated for their beneficiaries...

• Established five community-based Ger to Ger Info/Ticketing Centers (1 Arhangai, 4 Dundgovi)
• Supported more than a dozen handicraft producers
• Established first rural-regional transportation and travel network for travelers.
• Strengthened local partnerships with public, private sectors to systematically link and access tourism’s social economic benefits.
• Supported the increase interest and knowledge on essential subjects pertaining to stronger local development of tourism facilities to better service the demands of the industry.
• Supported herder/community-led initiatives that are aimed at bettering rural health, education and environmental management.
• Planned to enhance regional social economic and environmental coordination directly with beneficiaries and stake holders via short-wave radio communications that can lead to:
a. Distant education for children too poor to attend school in local villages.
b. Increase rural emergency health care response.
c. Greater social economic mobilization of rural herders/communities at local, regional and country levels.
• The project, herders and communities have investigated areas for potential areas for tourism and other micro and small enterprise development that can be implemented through Ger to Ger’s human-based infrastructure. Ger to Ger’s host families act as way points for large marathons or a rural distribution and procurement network for rural microenterprises.
• The project, herders and communities have investigated areas where the community could develop culture heritage preservation and environmental conservation activities. Funds for these community initiatives come from 10% of the project’s gross revenues to the communities’ revolving development account.

• The project and herders have investigated areas to support rural educational institutions. Aimag and soum based schools active in tourism development can send their students to the project’s route to enhance their hospitality and tourism professionalism skills and work for tourists as local guides. In doing so, the project aims at developing rural guide market that Ulaanbaatar tour operators can access so provide exceptional service for their clients and in doing so contribute to local communities.

OUTCOMES FOR MONGOLIA'S TOURISM INDUSTRY
• Established much needed rural infrastructure to meet the needs of the international travel market.
• Developed much needed alternative country travel products and services.
• Developed much needed rural human resources that can operate effectively with the tourism industry both at activity and policy development levels.
• Developed a strong social marketing label (brand) that “Ger to Ger Partners”, tour operators, can use to promote themselves as “being responsible” and “contributing” to the development of rural Mongolia.
• The Project is making contractual agreements with tour operators who would like to send their own tourist via Ger to Ger, but with their company guides, cooks, and drivers, for the 2007 season.

RURAL MARKET STIMULATION OUTCOMES
• Ger guesthouses established in Arhangai and Dundgovi.
• One Ger camp established in Saihan-Ovoo and another being planned in Ih Gazriin Chuluu by local herders.
• Three herder/community routes and market linkage development, at Saihan-Ovoo’s request, have been developed.
• Community souvenir shops in province centers, soums and remote areas in nomadic “gers” are being developed in Terelj National Park and Dundgovi.
• Local herders, businesses and governors in Arhangai and Dundgovi have requested the professional support of Ger to Ger in 2007 and onwards.
• Herders across Mongolia have requested the professional assistance of Ger to Ger.

RESULTS OF SECONDARY PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1) The project and herders have investigated areas for potential areas for tourism and other micro and small enterprise development that can be implemented through Ger to Ger’s human-based infrastructure. Ger to Ger’s host families act as way points for large marathons or a rural distribution and procurement network for rural microenterprises.
2) The project and herders have investigated areas where the community could develop culture heritage preservation and environmental conservation activities. Funds for these community initiatives come from 10% of the project’s gross revenues to an environmental fund.
3) The project and herders have investigated areas to support rural educational institutions. Aimag and soum based schools active in tourism development can send their students to the project’s route to enhance their hospitality and tourism professionalism skills and work for tourists as local guides. In doing so, the project aims to develop rural guides' market that Ulaanbaatar tour operators can access so provide exceptional service for their clients and in doing so contribute to local communities.
4) The project has investigated initial areas to develop sustainable business linkages between local, rural businesses and the project that can lead to interdependent growth and development; these linkages are in operation (i.e. restaurants, guesthouses, tour operators, cafes, restaurants).
5) The project has conducted a verity of Nomad Assessments to further investigate areas that can be quickly developed to alleviate other forms of poverty and development issues pertaining to their livelihood; health care, medical assistance, pasture management, education, etc.
6) The project based on the Nomad Assessments is now in the process of designing simple, effective and efficient solutions and is seeking support from both the public and private sectors to implement these innovative programs.