WORLD EXPORT DEVELOPMENT FORUM 2011 10 -11 May 2011, Istanbul, Turkey CONFERENCE REPORT EXPORT IMPACT FOR GOOD INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE 1 Private Sector Engagement with LDCs for Tourism-led Growth and Inclusive Sustainable Development CONTENTS FOREWORD – MS. Patricia FRANCIS 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7 USEFUL LINKS 7 ACRONYMS 8 SESSION SUMMARIES OFFICIAL WELCOME AND OPENING 10 PLENARY: Private SECTOR Engagement WITH LDCs AND LDCs’ COMMITMENT FOR SUStainaBLE TOURISM-LED GROWTH 15 WORKSHOP: Inclusive Tourism as a Market Opportunity for the Developing World: Two Cases – Ugandan Handicrafts and Ethiopian Cultural Heritage 19 WORKSHOP: Integrating Horticulture in the Tourism Supply Chain 21 WORKSHOP: Engaging Women Vendors in the Tourism Value Chain: Impacting Human and Economic Development 23 WORKSHOP: Recovering Tourism after a Crisis 25 PLENARY: IncluSIVE SUStainaBLE development LED BY SUStainaBLE partnerSHIPS, ETHICAL INVESTMENT AND INTELLIGENT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE TOURISM SECTOR 28 CloSING OF THE WORLD EXPORT Development FORUM 2011 31 THE waY forward 34 ABSTRACT FOR TRADE INFORMATION SERVICES ID=42458 2011 F-08.01 WOR International Trade Centre (ITC) World Export Development Forum 2011 : Private Sector Engagement with LDCs for Tourism-led Growth and Inclusive Sustainable Development. Geneva: ITC, 2011. 32 p. Proceedings of the 12th World Export Development Forum (WEDF), Istanbul, Turkey, 10-11 May 2011- focuses on private-sector engagement with LDCs, and the commitment of LDCs for sustainable tourism-led growth; presents summaries of discussions in plenary sessions and workshops which aimed at developing ITC-led projects in the following areas:Tourism as a Market Opportunity for the Developing World: Ugandan Handicrafts and Ethiopian Cultural Heritage; Integrating Horticulture in the Tourism Supply Chain; Engaging Women Vendors in the Tourism Value Chain; Impacting Human and Economic Development; Recovering Tourism after a Crisis. Descriptors: Export Promotion, Tourism and Travel Services, Sustainable Development, Private Sector, Value Chain, Gender, Artisanal Products. EN International Trade Centre, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland (http://www.intracen.org) The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Trade Centre concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © International Trade Centre 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the International Trade Centre. P244.E/OED/CE/11-IX 4 WORLD EXPORT DEVELOPMENT FORUM 2011 FOREWORD – Ms. Patricia FRANCIS Many least developed countries (LDCs) are recognizing the potential which the tourism industry holds for their countries. The findings of 30 out of the-then 49 LDCs’ Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) identified the development of tourism as a feasible way to participate in the global economy and revealed great potential for the private and public sectors. Tourism can be a driver in economic growth and poverty reduction, bringing in foreign exchange earnings and diversified employment opportunities. To further explore the opportunities, ITC and some of its United Nations (UN) partners came together to The private sector’s role in promoting sustainable discuss how we could work with LDCs and the private development was at the centre of the discussions at sector towards developing inclusive sustainable WEDF 2011. More than 160 global leaders in trade, tourism projects in keeping with the demand to development and tourism came together to examine pursue tourism as an economic opportunity. The UN the contribution to job creation and growth of the Steering Committee on Tourism for Development services sector, and the tourism sector in particular. (SCTD) was formed in 2010 and comprises the The exchanges about topics such as implications of World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the the policies and incentives for tourism development, International Labour Organization (ILO), the innovative approaches of locally-owned tourism International Trade Centre (ITC), the UN Conference businesses, and projects currently being funded by on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN international donors confirmed the broad range of Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Industrial opportunities in this sector. Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Identifying viable opportunities for LDCs was the (UNESCO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). objective for ITC at the outset of planning for WEDF. ITC worked with multinational corporations in the Following on the discussions of the SCTD, ITC tourism sector to learn about their views on the chose to focus its flagship event, the World Export barriers and opportunities to investing in LDCs in Development Forum (WEDF), on tourism Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Many of these development for LDCs within the framework of the companies and country representatives interested in Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least developing market-driven projects also participated Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul. Linking in ITC’s pre-WEDF workshop in Nairobi. This WEDF with LDC-IV underlined ITC’s commitment to meeting in Nairobi set the stage for project contributing to the international community’s and identification to be discussed at WEDF. LDCs’ efforts to achieve sustainable development and reduce poverty. Our aim was for countries to walk away from WEDF with firm project ideas. Four workshops were held Efforts to date to achieve the goal of sustainable where project ideas were presented and further development have had limited success and there is developed. The workshops covered: Inclusive an urgent need to re-examine and reflect on what cultural heritage product development for the has worked and what has not. There is already enhancement of tourism in Ethiopia; Trade broad agreement that one of the key elements of development for micro-artisans and artists in successful programmes and projects is the Uganda in the value chain of tourism; Integrating acceptance of ownership by developing countries, horticulture in the tourism supply chain; Engaging involving not only government but also civil society women vendors in the tourism value chain; and and the private sector. Public-private partnerships Recovering tourism after a crisis. are essential to success. INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE 5 1 – (l-r) Kenya’s Minister Following WEDF, and with the aim of engaging small Turkey as host country to LDC-IV and WEDF could for Tourism, H.E. Mr. Najib and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism attest to the transformative capability of tourism, and Balala, with a representative of value chain, the projects are being further developed it is with UN and private sector partners and LDCs Lesotho and Ms. Florence Kata, Executive Director, Uganda in-country and validated by local stakeholders. In that ITC will continue to work to achieve Export Export Promotion Board leading this process, ITC remains committed to the Impact for Good. 2 – (l-r) Silencer Mapuranga, involvement of the private sector, the importance of ITC, Sari Laaksonen, Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), and which was once again underlined by Pascal Lamy, I take this opportunity to thank our WEDF supporting Ugandan entrepreneur Sylvia Director General of the World Trade Organization, at partner UNWTO for providing its expertise, the Owori the Third Global Review on Aid for Trade on 18-19 members of the SCTD for their ongoing commitment 3 – Pre-WEDF workshop participants in Nairobi, April July 2011. to tourism development, the Swiss State Secretariat 2011 for Economic Affairs (SECO) for its continued Joint endeavours allow all partners to focus on their support of ITC’s work, and the Government of Turkey individual strengths while working towards the same whose assistance and support to ITC in staging goal. ITC provides trade related technical WEDF was invaluable. assistance, and its key strategic objective is to increase the capacity of the private sector in least developed and developing countries to take advantage of the global trading system. Building SMEs’ capacity for integration in the tourism value chain has the potential to lead to true economic transformation as tourism offers Patricia Francis employment opportunities especially for women and Executive Director youth, and backward linkages to the local economy. International Trade Centre 6 WORLD EXPORT DEVELOPMENT FORUM 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the government of Turkey for BBC World News, our supporting partner the World their great hospitality and support for the staging of the Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as well as all World Export Development Forum 2011 at the Harbiye speakers and contributors to WEDF 2011. Cultural Centre in Istanbul from 10-11 May 2011. This report was prepared under the overall direction We would also like to thank the State Secretariat for of Jaquelyn Campo, Senior Officer, Corporate Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO) Communications, written by Nick Parsons and for its generous donations which allowed additional edited by Sibylle Neuhaus. Kristina