7/29/2019 Brochure Sustainable Tourism 2005

1/4

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

SNV practice area

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 he lp cl ients to maximise the cont ribution of

sustainable tourism towards poverty alleviation.

We aim to st rengthen our cl ients ab il it ie s 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.

poverty reduct iontour ism development connected with

7/29/2019 Brochure Sustainable Tourism 2005

2/4

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.

Eradicating poverty through tourism development

Transferring commitments to effective practical action

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 andcapitalists. Profits are rarely shared with those who

need it most.

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

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.

7/29/2019 Brochure Sustainable Tourism 2005

3/4

SNV's advisory services

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.

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.

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.

Vi et nam: be ne fi ts fo r po or pe op le

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 mul-

tip le stakeh olde rs to incorporat e de ve lopment ob jecti ve s and

local needs into the law. The participatory process helped the

government draft a comprehensive law that includes condi-

tio ns fo r community pa rti cipa tion an d cre at es oppo rtu ni tie s

for poor pe op le to benefi t fro m the booming sector.

Tanzani a: new areas on th e to ur is m map

Assistance to the Tanzania Tourist Board included tour develop-

ment and guide training for local people in 20 areas. These

tour s are no w booked by about 20 ,000 tour is ts each year,

bringing in $500,000 USD annually for the local people that

organise the tours. The indirect economic benefits are even

far high er as the program he lped pu tt ing many new are as on

the tour ism map of Tanz an ia , lead ing to new investments, ne w

jobs and increased revenues for tourism enterprises.

Bhutan: funding profit-sharing

In Bhutan, SNV helped the national Department of Tourism

to plan and de ve lop a sustainabl e tre kk ing trai l. The tra il

is being built and managed by local villagers, trained to

ensure ecological preservation that would keep attractingtour ist s. As a res ul t, the communit ies al ong the trai l

have the opportunity to profit from providing meals, tour

guiding and accommodation to tourists who use the trail.

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 res ul ted in 6 di st ri ct pl ans. It suppor ts 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 -hyd ro pro gr ammes. About 130,00 0 peop le li vi ng in

these 6 di st ric ts have bene fit ed fro m the program ac ti vi ties .

7/29/2019 Brochure Sustainable Tourism 2005

4/4

SNV in

Asia

Bhutan

Laos

Nepal

Vietnam

SNV in

the Balkans

Albania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Macedonia

Montenegro

SNV in

East and

Southern Africa

Ethiopia

Mozambique

Kenya

Rwanda

Sudan

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

SNV in

Latin America

Bolivia

Ecuador

Honduras

Nicaragua

Peru

For further information please contact:

SNV Head Off ice

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)

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.

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

SNV in

West and Central

Africa

Angola

Benin

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

DR Congo

Ghana

Guinea Bissau

Mali

Niger

SNV regions and countries

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.