S u s t a i n a b l e To u r i s m

SNV practice area

tour ism development

connected with

poverty reduction

Sustainable tourism has enormous potential for poverty reduction. With relatively little capital investment, tourism can yield high levels of employment and income for the poor, particularly in rural communities where biodiversity has remained intact. At SNV, we help clients to maximise the contribution of sustainable tourism towards poverty alleviation. We aim to strengthen our clients abilities to enhance the local socio-economic impact from tourism through our services in policy and strategy development, community mobilisation, business development services and environmental conservation.

Eradicating

poverty through tourism development

Sustainable tourism has enormous potential for poverty reduction. With relatively little capital investment, tourism can yield high levels of employment and income for the poor, particularly in rural communities where biodiversity has remained intact. SNV works to develop pro-poor sustainable tourism by helping tourism stakeholders to develop policies and practices that contribute to poverty alleviation. Our sustainable tourism development services are part of our contribution to the worldwide fight against poverty, specifically as it relates to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We work toward eradicating poverty through tourism development that provides employment and income for the poor. Sustainable tourism also contributes to environmental sustainability by promoting a good understanding of the value of biodiversity conservation and providing an economic incentive to protect the environment.

Transferring

commitments to effective practical action

National and local governments often lack the knowledge and experience to involve communities in tourism planning and design policies that contribute to the fair distribution of wealth. Most local communities have limited understanding of the tourism industry and lack the capacity for generating sustainable profits and the confidence to work with government to develop policies that are in their favour. SNV helps clients to overcome these obstacles and to

A wide variety of clients Our clients cover a variety of agencies operating in the tourism sector, including national ministries of tourism, tourism boards and business associations, and tourism training institutes. Since their primary responsibility is developing the local or national tourism sector, these organisations are distinctly positioned to bring about enduring changes in the industry from which the poor can truly benefit. Our clients capacity constraints Although revenue from tourism is the primary source of foreign exchange earnings for most of the Least Developed Countries, tourism development in these countries often favours outside investors and capitalists. Profits are rarely shared with those who need it most.

transfer their commitments to poverty reduction into sound policies and effective practical action. We work to strengthen their capacities in policy development, advocacy and service delivery to their members, clients and local communities.

SNV's

advisory services
Vietnam: benefits for poor people
SNV advised the Vietnamese national government in drafting a law linking tourism development to poverty reduction. We involved the government in a consultative process with multiple stakeholders to incorporate development objectives and local needs into the law. The participatory process helped the government draft a comprehensive law that includes conditions for community participation and creates opportunities for poor people to benefit from the booming sector.

Policy and strategy development We support organisations from national to local levels that are responsible for tourism by helping them to transfer their commitments to poverty reduction into sound policies and practical action. Our advisory services include multi-stakeholder analyses, strategy, policy and legal framework development.

Business development services We also work with tourism business associations, training institutes and NGOs to improve their capacity to support tourism enterprises and local communities with business management, marketing and tourism product development. We improve their abilities to train local populations in the financial and technical skills to serve tourists through providing meals, tour guiding, building trekking trails, etc.

Tanzania: new areas on the tourism map

Assistance to the Tanzania Tourist Board included tour development and guide training for local people in 20 areas. These tours are now booked by about 20,000 tourists each year, bringing in $500,000 USD annually for the local people that organise the tours. The indirect economic benefits are even far higher as the program helped putting many new areas on the tourism map of Tanzania, leading to new investments, new jobs and increased revenues for tourism enterprises.

Community mobilisation Our work in community mobilisation is done primarily with local governments, national park authorities and tourism business associations. We support these organisations in involving local communities in their planning processes and maximising tourism benefits for the local poor.

Nepal: benefits for 130,000 people

SNV provides technical assistance to a tourism and poverty reduction program from the Nepal Tourism Board. In 2004 the programme resulted in 6 district plans. It supports the construction and renovation of 81 km of trails and 28 drinking water schemes, bridges, museums, religious sites, viewpoints, porter shelters, resting places, culverts and campsites. The programme also promotes renewable energy technologies such as 400 improved cooking stoves, 11 bio-gas plants and two micro-hydro programmes. About 130,000 people living in these 6 districts have benefited from the program activities.

Environmental conservation We also offer services for organisations that are involved in linking tourism development with biodiversity conservation. Our services include technical and awareness training in environmental conservation, natural resource management, energy and garbage management.

Bhutan: funding profit-sharing

In Bhutan, SNV helped the national Department of Tourism to plan and develop a sustainable trekking trail. The trail is being built and managed by local villagers, trained to ensure ecological preservation that would keep attracting tourists. As a result, the communities along the trail have the opportunity to profit from providing meals, tour guiding and accommodation to tourists who use the trail.

Improved living conditions for poor communities

Better policies and practices As a result of our services, clients are better able to design policies and practices that develop tourism in an economically viable, equitable and ecologically sustainable way. All of these elements work together to ensure that not only countries, but poor communities can see long-lasting benefits from tourism. The benefits are not always economic, but often include participatory relationships between communities and government, environmental and biodiversity conservation, and improved living conditions for poor communities.

WTO-SNV partnership
SNV has established a partnership with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). We intent to cooperate actively in the ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism for the Elimination of Poverty) initiative of the WTO, as well as to provide joint support to countries on tourism law and policy formulation. Joint SNV WTO activities have already been carried out in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, Ecuador, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Bhutan. In other countries joint initiatives are planned for the near future.

SNV is dedicated to a society where all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. Our advisors contribute to this by strengthening the capacity of local organisations. Other practice areas of SNV: Responsive and accountable local government Market access for the poor Collaborative forest management Collaborative water management Dry land management Renewable energy/biogas Gender For further information please contact: SNV Head Office Bezuidenhoutseweg 161 2594 AG The Hague The Netherlands T +31 (0)70 344 0244 F +31 (0)70 385 5531 Also check our extensive reference guides on: www.snvworld.org (Practice areas > Sustainable Tourism)

SNV regions and countries SNV in the Balkans Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Macedonia SNV in West and Central Africa Angola Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon DR Congo SNV in Latin America Bolivia Ecuador Honduras Nicaragua Peru Ghana Guinea Bissau Mali Niger SNV in East and Southern Africa Ethiopia Mozambique Kenya Rwanda Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Montenegro SNV in Asia Bhutan Laos Nepal Vietnam