Felt City Tours: Community-based tourism in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar
Venture into the “felt city” of Ulaanbaatar and make friends with locals in the ger areas. Through our curated tours and immersive experiences, you’ll uncover the captivating intersection where nomadic heritage intertwines with modern urban life. Unearth the hidden gems of our city and contribute to the preservation and celebration of Mongolian culture in ger areas!
Mission
Our mission is to empower residents of ger areas with a sustainable source of supplemental income through tourism, while offering visitors an immersive and interactive experience that delves into the rich culture and daily life within the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar.
Vision
For visitors
To deepen understanding of daily life, realities, and innovations within ger area communities, while highlighting nomadic tradition and culture in a significantly urbanized environment.
For hosts
To establish a tourism initiative independently operated by the community that ensures benefits are reinvested into community development.
With demand for sustainable and adventure tourism rising in the travel sector, Mongolia’s beautiful, diverse landscape has gained substantial recognition and popularity over the past decade. However, Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, home to nearly half of the population is commonly perceived as a transition point in and out of the country– with much of the education and cultural immersion taking place outside the city.
It is from this popular perception that GerHub recognized an opportunity to share the significance of Ulaanbaatar and its residents with tourists. Within Mongolia’s metropolis, the ger areas are the keepers of culture, centuries of nomadism imbued within the sprawling districts. The heartbeat of Mongolian heritage is represented in the stories, talents, and traditions of its residents. But despite being an undeniable hotspot of rich Mongolian tradition, there are very few tours exploring the ger areas.
In the Summer of 2022, master’s students from the University of Minnesota (UMN) worked closely with GerHub and the local community to conduct an on-site feasibility study for community-based tourism within the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar.
With ger area residents actively developing experience ideas, the UMN team produced a report detailing a comprehensive plan to implement a tourism initiative that could be sustained and operated by the local community in the long-term.
Community-based Tourism (CBT) is a tourism planning process that places the management and creation of tourism experiences in the hands of local residents. Widely acknowledged as a method of implementing sustainable tourism development, CBT ensures that the economic benefits of tourism stay within the community.
Since May 2023, GerHub and 7 families in the community have hosted over 145 visitors. Looking forward, GerHub is working to spread awareness about the tours while planning training courses for hosts in hospitality, business development, and other relevant areas. These initiatives aim to expand the customer base and cultivate essential skills within the local community, thereby empowering them to play a more integral role in the project’s operations and long-term leadership.
Recently, GerHub adopted the name ‘Felt City Tours’, drawing inspiration from the renowned ‘Felt City’ podcast co-hosted by GerHub’s co-founder, Enkhjin Batjargal and Urban Planner, Aldarsaikhan Tuvshinbat. The podcast delves into urban life in Ulaanbaatar, with an emphasis on public participation and sustainability.
Given that our tours intimately explore the nuances and rich culture of the literal ‘felt city,’ ‘Felt City Tours’ emerged as the unanimous choice to encapsulate our journey ahead.