1. Product Description:- An information Center for tourists is a center where all relevant information the foreign tourists need is collected, prepared and distributed to actual and potential tourists. The information that tourists need include brief description about tourist sites, locations of these sites and means of transport to reach sites, available hotels, restaurants, shops of local handicrafts, prices for hotel rooms, food and drinks, local handicrafts and other suviniours, fees for visiting tourist sites, tour guides and drivers. Tourists are also interested in the history, geography and culture of areas they visit. Such information should also be provided at the center.
2. Rationale:- Ethiopia is a mosaic of peoples and cultures. More than 80 languages are spoken and two of the world’s major religions (Christianity and Islam) plus a number of less-known faiths are followed, resulting in great cultural diversity. Religious and other cultural festivals, with roots in the distant past, are very colorful and continue to form an important part of communal life. The above mentioned points are also well reflected in Amhara region. All these information should be prepared in books, pamphlets, brochures, DVDs, pictures, photos… and distributed to domestic and international tourists. So, In order to provide enough information to tourists, there is a need to establish an information center which will cater to the needs of tourists (actual and potential)
3. Market Potential:- Every tourist needs information on issues mentioned above. Some of the information to be provided helps the tourists’ form being exploited by scrupulous businessmen (owners of vehicles, hotels and restaurants, souvinious shops tour guides, etc). Having this information, tourists will pay “fair prices for fair services”. The information will be provided by charging some prices to make the center a going venture. If 20,000 tourists visit the Region, and if one tourist pays Birr 20 for this information, total revenue of the center will be Birr 400,000 per year. This revenue will make the center a viable business enterprise.
4. Inputs:- The information which is important to tourists should provide in books pamphlets, brochures, DVDs, pictures, photos can be produced in the country.
5. Estimated Investment:-
§ Building 100 m2 at Birr 2000/m2 = Birr 200,000
§ Equipment = Birr 50,000
§ Working Capital = Birr 50,000
Total = Birr 300,000
6. Benefits:- It enables to give enough information to tourists creates job opportunity, introduce such modern information services to the region.
7. Location:- Bahir Dar, Gonder and Lalibela.