Tourism Ethiopia in collaboration with Facebook has announced the launch of Boost with Facebook for Tourism Ethiopia – a digital marketing program for Ethiopian SMB’s in the tourism and hospitality sector affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is being implemented by Summer Media, a local digital marketing company in Ethiopia.
According to Facebook’s Global State of Small Business Report released last year, the tourism and hospitality industries were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Boost with a Facebook program which was launched in August 2020 as a pilot program in Ethiopia aims to help 5,000 businesses in the tourism sector learn how to use the Facebook family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) to boost their businesses’ marketing efforts online.
Commenting on the program, Weldegebrial Berhe, Marketing Director at Tourism Ethiopia said,“Tourism Ethiopia is delighted to work with Facebook and Summer Media to implement the Boost with Facebook for Tourism Ethiopia. We encourage tourism stakeholders and SMBs to sign up and equip themselves with the necessary digital marketing skills they need to recover from the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance the online presence of Ethiopia as a tourist destination”
Mercy Ndegwa, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy in East & Horn of Africa added: “We remain committed to supporting governments and the private sector across the region in recovering their economies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now more important to equip and empower businesses, communities and the next generation of leaders to better utilize the power of digital tools and take full advantage of what the internet has to offer.”
The program is currently being run virtually through instructor-led live webinars sessions led by Summer Media. The program aims to help its participants identify business constraints caused by COVID-19, learn how to manage stranded assets and develop new strategies and business initiatives to survive the pandemic. The program also equips SMB’s with skills on building an online presence with Facebook, storytelling on Instagram, connecting with audiences through Facebook groups, growing business through Whatsapp, and implementing advertising strategies on Facebook’s family of apps.
Facebook has been supporting SMB’s across SSA through a number of Economic Impact programs, including Boost with Facebook, SheMeans Business, Digify Pro, and Aspiring Entrepreneurs Program which are helping equip thousands of SMBs to leverage digital tools to achieve their business goals. Since June last year, Facebook has been offering these programs virtually through instructor-led live webinar sessions featuring presentations, demos, and virtual discussions.
