Evaluation of Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance

Counterpart International is a nonprofit organization focused on building sustainable communities around the globe. In 2008, Counterpart International began implementation of the Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance (ESTA), enhancing regional biodiversity conservation and economic development through the development of sustainable tourism products and activities. Counterpart International engaged the Capstone team in order to help the organization better articulate the ways in which the program has been successful in meeting its intended goals. The team first evaluated literature on ESTA activities, outputs, and relevant indicators in order to identify remaining questions about the impact of the program, potentially scalable aspects, and any overlap with similar programs worldwide. The team then traveled to Ethiopia to interview key stakeholders, program beneficiaries, and NGO partners; consequently, producing a report evaluating the ESTA intervention. The report highlighted successful outcomes of program activities, offered recommendations on compelling programmatic themes, and pinpointed scalable aspects for future ecotourism interventions.