Yetuat Berhan Tourist Boat Rent Association, during a while it had with The Ethiopian Herald, said that the association provides sea transport service for tourists in BahirDar city on Lake Tana.
The association’s boat dispatch secretary Gebeyehu Tamiru told The Ethiopian Herald that firstly; the government has organized them in small and micro enterprise five years ago with the initial capital of 160,000 Birr loan to begin their current tourist boat rent transport service. The main objective was to enable them benefit financially through providing boat trip service mainly for tourists.
Following release of the money, the organized youth have started their job with two boats. They continued their business and become successful via saving money for just six months confronting challenges encountered them. Before starting the business in an organized way, they were all unemployed and felt hopeless in their life being idle for long period of time in the city, he said.
According to Gebeyehu, the association is beyond getting job for them. Apart from helping themselves, currently, they have created job for another youth under their organization. The association has its own working office which is equipped with necessary furniture like computer that enables them execute their work effectively.
According to him, earlier, the association has been receiving support from BahirDar city financially in the form of loan and morally encouraged to become strong enterprise.
Yetuat Berhan Tourist Boat Rent Association has linkage with tour and travel agencies like Monopay Tour in the city and carrying out their task in collaboration with them. The association has 21 modern boats by now which are very convenient for tourists’ trip on the lake, he added.
The association provides tour services for tourists starting from early in the morning up to mid-day on Lake Tana for the purpose of recreation and visit to monasteries across the lake. Among the monasteries to be visited include; Azwa Mariam, Ura Kidane mehret, Narga Selassie and Daga Estifanos among others, he noted.
Previously, the association had 21 youth members under the organization but now the number of members has declined to ten as others left the association for different reasons.
Working diligently and becoming competent, Yetuat Berhan tourist boat rent association is getting stronger and doing well in earning up to 1000 Birr per day depending on the tourists’ peak record season in the areas, he indicated.
On his part, Mastewal, head of Tourist Guides in BahirDar city said that the tourism sector, by nature, cannot stand alone as a result of tourism works are linked with hotel services, tour guides and boat renting associations. Each sector has its own vital role for the effectiveness of tourist attraction and augmenting their business via supporting each other as they are on the same path.
“Though we have weakness in some parts of our work, we are exerting our utmost effort to sustain our effectiveness in the sector.”
Fortunately, after the reform, the government has paid fitting attention for the tourism sector so that we are doing our job finely, he added.
On the other hand, BahirDar city Culture, Tourism and Sport Bureau Head Abreham Asefa said that there are about 117 boats in the city. They are providing competent service for those in need through building their capacity and in turn, they become benefited financially. The office is conducting follow up and checking the standard of the services they are providing for the tourists and facilitating any service for the association whenever they seek support from the office, he elaborated.
“The office is also working on helping the association by facilitating conditions to buy the most recent boats that are preferred on the lake today,” he noted.
The Ethiopian Herald November8, 2019
BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
