MongoliaN Community Based Tourism (CBT) 

OUR SDG ACHIEVEMENTS via community based tourism in mongolia

AT GERtoGER we are able to tangibly prove how we advance the UN’s MDGs/SDGs in our day-to-day community based tourism operations for DECADES (SINCE I started AUTHORing IT from 2002):

• SDG 1 – NO POVERTY: up to 80% of Humanitarian Trips’ finances are returned to rural nomads, drivers, etc.; 20% towards rural communities’ marketing and workshops.
• SDG 2 – ZERO HUNGER: We have/continue to employ nomadic families who are the poorest of the poor, marginalized, challenged, etc.
• SDG 3 – GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING: trainings on health/safety/reduce sanitation illnesses (Hepatitis, etc.); incomes for medical insurance, visits, medication, surgeries, etc.
• SDG 4 – QUALITY EDUCATION: Via workshops/incomes nomadic adults/children are receiving education via workshops (locals/internationals), schools, high schools and universities. 
• SDG 5 – GENDER EQUALITY: Over 70% of our national managers are women; rurally, women care for travelers’ family experience (food, drink, etc.) while men generally guide (though some women guide). 
• SDG 6 – CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION: VIA TRAINING/OPERATIONS 1) nomads/travelers – “Leave No Trace” 2) waste management to mitigate watershed damages along routes, etc.
• SDG 7 – AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY: assisted all nomadic families to obtain savings accounts across Mongolia – credit histories used for financial services/small-loans to procure solar/wind powered units and other environmentally safe and affordable tech to make their lives more comfortable and safe (solar freezers for meet/foods, etc.).
• SDG 8 – DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH:  Social economic development via tourism while combating negative aspects of open market growth (mainly “Karens“).  Over 90% of HR are rural; via “Geotourism” we strengthen rural supply chains and via community based tourism development we actively seek both direct and indirect means to further advance a variety of social economic development initiatives with both local and international partners e.g. renovating and equipping schools/kindergartens with not only educational materials but also with heating systems (as many student freeze in winter in northern/central Mongolia) as well as enhancing schools’ decors to make them more pleasant for both students and teachers.
• SDG 9 – INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE:  “GER to GER” is the Mongol Empire’s ancient “kinetic supply chain” – today this ancient supply chain advances Mongolia’s social economic aspirations. 
• SDG 10 – REDUCE INEQUALITIES: In addition to financial equality, SDG initiatives in Mongolia and abroad – for the last 6+ years we’ve been tracking, mapping, countering, etc., a variety of “inequalities” from Asia to EU to mitigate home-grown issues across multiple countries/internet-platforms. Today, beyond extremists, the greatest risks for developing nations like Mongolia are “Karens” that pose an immediate threat via online misinformation that disrupts market economics via negatively impacting countries, businesses and people’s image.
• SDG 11 – SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES:  GERtoGER meshes “kinetic” and “static” supply chains into itineraries, products, etc., towards advancing social economic development. GERtoGER’s founder has spent 23+ years assisting Mongolia through its post-Soviet transitional development (tourism, meat, cashmere) – first USAID funded “The Competitiveness Initiative”. 
• SDG 12 – RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION: 1) travelers are trained on “subsistence nomadic lifestyles, traditions, history, etc.” 2) nomadic tribes are provided with cashmere-alternatives owing to overgrazing issues (sharp increase in goat numbers); sustainable eco-incomes vs. land degradation incomes that impacts nomadism, livestock, GDPs, nature/environment.
• SDG 13 – CLIMATE ACTION: We have conducted Nomad Relief Efforts during climatic disasters; films, media pieces, awareness campaigns, etc. 2) We established networks ‘that can’ monitor trends (goats, desertification, watershed situations, weather impacts on land degradation, etc.)
• SDG 14 – LIFE BELOW WATER: Via workshops all herder/travelers are trained about the importance of water resources in relation to mitigating waste related issues, etc. Though Mongolia may not have oceans – the quality of Mongolia’s watersheds are vital to nomadic populations throughout the country. Mr. Fromer assisted USAID Gobi Initiative’s “Watershed Monitoring” program works as the quality of the watersheds directly impacts Mongolia’s GDPs (cashmere, meat, tourism) as nomadic families are the core “node” of all three industries.
• SDG 15 – LIFE ON LAND: Via workshops herders/travelers are trained about the importance of land resources in relation to mitigating waste related issues, watershed impacts on land quality, weather/climatic degradation of land, etc., in addition to serious issues pertaining to overgrazing, etc., GER to GER has established nomadic networks ‘that can’ monitor such remote concerns (GDP concerns).
• SDG 16 – PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS: We promote the UN’s UDHRs within Mongolia, social media, etc. Mr. Fromer encourages all countries to “maintain the peace” via making the general public aware of social-issues (extremists, oppression OPS, racial hate CRIMES, etc.) that may indeed hinder social economic development. Today, beyond extremists, the greatest risks for developing nations like Mongolia are “Karens” that pose an immediate threat via online misinformation that disrupts market economics via negatively impacting countries, businesses and people’s image.
• SDG 17 – PARTNERSHIP FOR THE GOALS: We proactively expand our partnerships and collaborative initiatives.

Responsible Travel Notes: 

* All Mongolian Community Based Tourism Offers (Nomadic Trails) and Homestays are 100% “Reality Trips” that are managed and operated by locals and nomadic families; GER to GER Office operates ONLY AS A Humanitarian “Travel Agent” for communities (non-tour operator).

* GER to GER’s Mongolian Community Based Tourism Offers (Nomadic Trails) is about “Reality” – real families, real lifestyles, real situation, etc. (who are the Mongols? And not about our expectations).

* GER to GER’s Mongolian Community Based Tourism Offers (Nomadic Trails) are not an amusement park experience – it’s about awareness/respecting nomadic lifestyle and learning “their ways” (not ours), etc.

* GER to GER’s Mongolian Community Based Tourism Offers (Nomadic Trails) is an opportunity for people to learn how to integrate within other cultures vs. other cultures catering to our international norms and standards that we have become overly accustomed too and demand others to adhere too (like paid entertainment slaves).

* GER to GER has generated over a Million USD towards Mongolia’s social economic development via supply-chain synergies and provides over 80% of its revenues toward rural nomadic families that greatly need this alternative income source.

Mongolia COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM INITIATIVES

Some Successes from 1000s include:

Hashuu’s Wife

“Ger to Ger saved my husband’s health in 2016… Ger to Ger paid for his entire hip replacement surgery/one month’s physical therapy treatment cost at the Korean Hospital. Today, he is working by himself and started to herd animals alone without requiring other people’s assistance; his backbone pain gone forever.”

Hashuu

“The benefits of working with Ger to Ger are countless.”

Battsetseg

“Income that my family earned from tourism sector has paid for my husband’s rehab and medical treatment for his liver.”

A Nomad States

“My additional revenue from tourism industry benefitted my livestock to grow sustainably as I had no longer kill animals to pay my four children’s tuitions and my wife’s liver treatment.”

Battsetseg Gonchigdorj

“After collecting my salary for couple years, I was able to pay for my two older daughters’ university tuitions. The oldest daughter fulfilled her dream as a pre-med student and the other one studied Korean language. The young two daughters are studying in English school and high school specialized in math.”

Jargalsaikhan Purevjal

“I used my salary to purchase more animals for my family and a horse cart so I don’t need to beg other families to lend us their cart so my family can move during seasonal migration.”

Amarjargal Dorjsuren

“In 2008, my brother was killed due to unsafe working conditions in the unlicensed Nalaih mines. If my husband and I were not working at Ger to Ger, my husband could have been killed too. It’s truly wonderful that Ger to Ger assisted my family and also saved my life for my children… I’m always Appreciative.”

Boogii

“In 2006, Ger to Ger invited my family to become a host family however we had no financial resources and no animals to transport travelers. Regardless of our challenges, Ger to Ger team extended their hands by recommending to rent animals and Gers from other families until we were able to procure our own.”

Zorig

“We used to herd for other families for many years because we did not have our own animals. But after working with Ger to Ger our livelihoods improved and we purchased our own animals; and herding them now. Also few years ago, one of my sons had heart problem and had to have urgent surgery. If we did not work with Ger to Ger and did not earn money from tourism sector we could not have afford to pay the surgery cost and save my son. Today my son is healthy and herding animals, next year he will start studying in University.”

The Challenges we Face

to advance the UN’s MDGS/SDGs VIA Mongolian COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

I have first-hand experiences with the following – as both unethical tour operators and Karens (aka unrully travelers – learn more about WHAT a Karen is via these links YouTube and Facebook) have tried for years to destroy and discredit both me (Zanjan Fromer) as well as all our past/current and future MDG/SDG endeavors listed below here. Many of these unethical folks were afraid that both GER to GER as well as myself would foster and generate a lot of public support – and they didn’t want that to happen.

1. UNETHICAL TOUR OPERATORS – DISRUPTION TO POACH CLIENTS/MARKETS & TRAINED COMMUNITY HR

For the last decade, the major issue in Mongolia are irresponsible tour operators/competitors unethically profiteering/gaining from the ‘responsible tourism’ brand by sabotaging Responsible Tour Operators’ markets via disruptors, trolls, scammers, etc., that spread misinformation via Trip Advisor to intentionally damage the alternative incomes of nomadic families via factless statements of concern that the tourism industry “damages” nomads (with intentions to destroy local CBT operations to force communities to seek other tour operators to collaborate with aka “unethical community poaching” of trained HR assets – unethical operators in Mongolia are lazy – they prefer poaching/disruptive adoption than developing their own communities and own HR properly).

More importantly, these unethical folks foster the lack of market distinction between responsible operations (like GER to GER) and irresponsible tour operators. Today, many claim to be ‘responsible’ and experts in community based tourism – and generally they are educated and great talkers – but with some research it’s clear that they’ve adopted lost donor projects and are calling it theirs, etc., for financial and name gains – but are not specialists in community development. These folks, beyond copying GER to GER and the like, are unable to “tangibly prove” how they/themselves are advancing the UN MDGs/SDGs by “their own creations”. It is VITAL to note that copying & pasting existing/donor created CBTs as their own doesn’t qualify “these unethical operators” as CBT developers/specialists as they haven’t properly obtained the necessary experience, skill sets, knowledge, know-how, lessons learned and more for them selves… parroting books, donor reports and the like doesn’t make them experts NOR specialists – only speaking, educating and sharing lessons learned from one’s own experiences does.

2. THE USAGE OF “KARENS” – SPREADING MISINFORMATION & HATE AND SILENCING SUPPORTERS VIA ONLINE/OFFLINE  HARASSMENT

Lastly, what truly damages nomadic families are unethical individuals/scams/dishonest reviews via “Karens” (aka unrully travelers – learn more about WHAT a Karen is via these links YouTube and Facebook) that pose an immediate threat via online misinformation and hate (via Trip Advisor, Google Reviews, etc.) which directly/rapidly disrupts market economics and sustainability as well as negatively impacting countries, businesses and people’s image… and worse – for years – they also targeted good businesses, good people and their supporters with constant online/offline harassment.