NATURE-ORIENTED TOURISM IN ECUADOR: AN ASSESSMENT APPLYING THE VALUE CHAIN AND NATURE, WEALTH AND POWER FRAMEWORKS microREPORT #64 July 2006 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. As part of a joint AMAP/FRAME effort, this paper was prepared by Robert Fries (ACDI/VOCA), Marcela Correa (CARANA), Douglas Pool (International Resources Group), and Arnaldo Rodriguez (Green-Consulting), with significant contributions by Stephen Edwards and Salvador Cazar (Conservation International). ECUADOR ECOTOURISM: INDUSTRY STUDY i NATURE-ORIENTED TOURISM IN ECUADOR: AN ASSESSMENT APPLYING THE VALUE CHAIN AND NATURE, WEALTH AND POWER FRAMEWORKS microREPORT #64 Authors: Robert Fries - ACDI/VOCA Marcela Correa - Carana Corporation Douglas Pool - International Resources Group Arnaldo Rodriguez - Green-Consulting Interviewers: Juan Carlos Izurieta , Glenda Lopez, Paola Stone, Mireya Villacis - Green-Consulting Daniela Cajiao - Conservation International Contributors: Banu Akin, Ruth Campbell - ACDI/VOCA Stephen Edwards, Salvador Cazar - Conservation International Lauren Sorkin, Pradeep Tharakan - International Resources Group July 2006 DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. BACKGROUND 3 A. STUDY OBJECTIVES 3 B. INDUSTRY SELECTION 3 C. METHODOLOGY 4 II. VALUE CHAIN CHARACTERISTICS 6 A. END MARKETS 6 B. ENABLING ENVIRONMENT—CRITICAL ELEMENTS IMPACTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH 11 C. INTER-FIRM COOPERATION—ACTORS AND RELATIONSHIPS 16 D. SUPPORTING SERVICES 27 E. MAJOR CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES 29 III. COMPETITIVE STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN 33 A. FOUR POTENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A STRATEGIC VISION 33 B. POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS 34 ANNEX 1: CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING THE LINK BETWEEN TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY, AND THE INTEGRATION OF VCA AND NWP FRAMEWORKS 38 ANNEX 2: REFERENCES 41 ANNEX 3: MULTILATERAL AND BILATERAL SUPPORT OF TOURISM 43 ANNEX 4: STAKEHOLDER MEETING PARTICIPANTS 44 ANNEX 5: LAWS AND REGULATIONS 45 ANNEX 6: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS TABLES (SPANISH) 46 ANNEX 7: SCOPE OF WORK 49 ANNEX 8: CONTACT MATRIX 55 NATURE-ORIENTED TOURISM IN ECUADOR LIST OF ACRONYMS AMAP BDS Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Program – Business Development Services ASEC Ecuador Ecotourism Association CAIMAN Conservation in Managed Indigenous Areas CORPEI Ecuadorian Corporation for the Promotion of Exports FRAME Framework for Knowledge Sharing for the Natural Resource Community GDP Gross Domestic Product MAE Ministry of Environment MINTUR Ministry of Tourism MSEs Micro and Small Enterprises NGO Non-governmental Organization NWP Nature, Wealth, and Power SNAP National System of Protected Areas USAID United States Agency for International Development VCA Value Chain Approach WB World Bank WTO World Tourism Organization WTTCM World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Monitor NATURE-ORIENTED TOURISM IN ECUADOR i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In May 2006, a team of researchers conducted an assessment of nature-oriented tourism in three locations in Ecuador: Mindo, Puerto Lopez and the Napo River basin. These sites presented a range of both geographical destinations (sierra, coast and Amazon) and natural resource ownership models (public, private and community lands). In conducting the assessment, the team applied elements of two frameworks—Nature, Wealth and Power, which considers the ecological, economic and social factors and benefits involved in natural resource management and nature-based enterprise; and the Value Chain Approach, which examines opportunities and constraints facing key businesses in an industry, and the critical factors affecting their competitiveness. Ecotourism was initially selected for analysis because of Ecuador’s comparative advantages in this area, the significance of tourism to Ecuador’s economy, and ecotourism’s potential to provide both economic opportunities and incentives for conservation in rural areas. The analysis was expanded to include other nature-oriented tourism operations in the selected zones, as the line between ecotourism and these other businesses is not clearly drawn by the tourists who buy their products and services. Lessons concerning the relationship between conservation and tourism, as well as the integration of the two frameworks are presented in Annex 1. End market research reinforced the amorphous nature of the ecotourism industry. It also demonstrated Ecuador’s comparative advantages in nature-oriented and ecotourism, and the fact that Ecuador has been losing market share to two of its major competitors, Peru and Costa Rica. Subsequent field analysis pointed to a number of factors contributing to this gap between comparative advantage and competitive performance. The enabling environment includes the stated commitment of the Ministries of Tourism and the Environment, but extremely limited budgets, interagency collaboration, and planning, regulatory and enforcements capabilities; a model to decentralize government services that has not been evenly implemented and has resulted in confusion over the rules governing businesses in the industry; and threats to the natural resource base driven by a lack of land use planning and resource management. Analysis of relevant actors in the three locations indicates that nature-oriented tourism in Ecuador is not a well- integrated value chain. Actors tend to lack an industry perspective and are reticent to cooperate with each other. Challenges to horizontal linkages include a high incidence of informal businesses, tensions between ecotourism and recreational activities and between local operators and those perceived as outsiders, and a frustration with the lack of cost-effectiveness of associations. The most effective horizontal linkages tend to be formed in response to local challenges. Vertical linkages are best developed between actors serving high-end markets—such as birders and visitors to Amazon eco-lodges. Through these linkages, market access, standards and feedback from the end- market are provided through agencies in Quito, North America and Europe. Finally, the analysis demonstrated a link between the flow of economic benefits from nature-oriented tourism to local communities and local community support of conservation efforts. Two critical supporting services were continually mentioned in interviews as being inadequate: promotion and finance. Promotion efforts by Ecuador’s tourism promotion agency are constrained both by budget—its total annual budget is less than its Peruvian counterpart’s advertising budget for the United States—and by a lack of linkages and feedback mechanisms with the private sector and local tourism councils. In terms of finance, the common sources of funds for investment in the industry include owner equity and grants from NGOs, due to high interest rates and a limited supply of loans. NATURE-ORIENTED TOURISM IN ECUADOR 1 At a workshop held in Quito on June 1, industry stakeholders ranked their most significant opportunities and constraints. The most commonly cited themes were related to the enabling environment: decentralization, the lack of basic services and public-private linkages, and the weak management of and investment in national parks and public lands. Other repeatedly mentioned constraints included the need for improved business planning and management skills at the firm level, and better access to finance. In light of these findings and industry feedback, the team proposes for stakeholder consideration four potential elements of a strategic vision that could enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Ecuador’s nature-oriented tourism industry: 1. Ecuador will develop a brand as the leader in sustainable tourism, offering authentic and unique experiences that are tied to Ecuador’s natural and cultural resources. 2. Products and destinations under this brand will respond to market demand, designed to capture a range of market segments and tourists interested in a range of activities. Elements of mass tourism that do not harm the sustainable tourism brand will be promoted in order to attract a large number of tourists and to demonstrate that sustainable tourism is a mainstream brand. 3. Ecuador’s growing brand of tourism will become increasingly linked with natural resource management that protects the environment and promotes biodiversity. 4. Building this brand will require increased collaboration between industry actors, with the development of an industry-level awareness replacing the current enterprise-level understanding of competitiveness. Since incentives for collaboration appear stronger at the local level, linked to concrete and immediate mutual benefits, local collaboration that is consistent with the national brand will be encouraged. In fact, the national brand will be shaped and strengthened by collaborative efforts to define and promote mini-brands or destinations. This report concludes with illustrative actions that would allow stakeholders to address identified opportunities and constraints within the context of a competitiveness strategy. Emphasis is placed on achievable, shorter term actions that build on immediate interests shared at the local level. The illustrative actions address: • the enabling environment—streamlined business legalization processes, interagency websites, differentiated fee strategies for protected areas, and improvements in planning