Since the new owners acquired Lalibela Game Reserve in July 2016, enormous changes have taken place. Lalibela has almost doubled in size thanks to new land purchases, the number of beds has gone from 44 beds in three lodges to 84 beds in five lodges and employment numbers have more than doubled.
Staff Villages at Lalibela.
Rob Gradwell, GM at Lalibela said: “A central theme throughout all of these positive changes has been an absolute commitment to the environment and surrounding community. Vast tracts of land have been cleansed of invasive plant species, land has been rehabilitated, purchasing policies have been altered to source as locally as possible, grey water at the lodges is being purified and converted to drinking water for waterholes…etc, etc. The list is endless!”
During 2017, a discussion was had between the owners and management and it was agreed, since our ethos is so aligned to what Fair Trade in Tourism is all about, that it would make sense to apply for Fair Trade certification. There was one aspect that still needed some effort (our policies regarding the disposal of waste) and we decided that once this was up to standard that we would begin the certification process. Lalibela now believes it is compliant with the requirements for Fair Trade certification and we have thus begun the application process.
