Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. From 24.
September to 2. October 2022, the German-Mongolian cooperation project SPACES
(Supporting Protected Areas for the Conservation of Ecosystem Services) which
is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and
Tourism (MET) supported Khovd’s 3rd Tea Road Festival with a variety
of activities.


An all-women group of 26 members of Community Groups active
in tourism and craft production, a three-day wool craft training, held at the
Polytechnic School in Khovd. They learned about quality-increasing techniques
of washing and carding the raw wool and how to make miniature camel soft toys. SPACES
staff Mieke Kuiters and Soninbolor Tuguldur gave a presentation on the basics
of souvenir production as an income-generating opportunity. Topics covered: knowing
who your customers are, what they like to purchase, where they will do their
purchases, the use of ethnicity and regional biodiversity as inspiration for
souvenirs, the financial side of craft production (costs of raw material, time
investment, and selling prices) as well as labeling and environmentally friendly
packaging. This presentation was repeated for 10 women from Durgun soum who
participated in a 2-day training (October 1-2) on spinning and knitting of
camel wool.


During the Tea Road activities in the aimag center on
September 27 and 28, SPACES provided the community groups with the opportunity
to sell their products to the visitors of the festival.

To support the development
of the Tea Road Festival as an event that is widely recognized by professional Tour
Operators, SPACES facilitated a study by the National University of Mongolia on
the economic potential of the Tea Road Festival for local herders who are
involved in the festival. The research approach was presented during a research
conference organized by the Khovd University on September 28. The final report
is expected to provide valuable input for the improvement of the Tea Road Festival
in the coming years.

Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit