USAID AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: MEETING DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES June 2005 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by the Natural Resources Information Clearinghouse. USAID AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: MEETING DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES Disclaimer The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. The Natural Resources Information Clearinghouse Is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (BIOFOR IQC: LAG-1-00-99-00014-00, Task Order 09) and Is implemented by Chemonics International Inc. Environment International PA Government Services Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University CONTENTS Acronyms.................................................................................................................................................i I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................1 II. Sustainable Tourism Development ...................................................................................................3 A. Tourism and the World Economy ...............................................................................................3 B. Tourism and International Development Goals ..........................................................................4 C. What is Sustainable Tourism? .....................................................................................................5 D. International Initiatives in Sustainable Tourism..........................................................................6 III. USAID’s Sustainable Tourism Portfolio .........................................................................................9 A. Economic Growth........................................................................................................................9 B. Natural Resources Management and Biodiversity Conservation ..............................................11 C. Cross-Cutting Objectives...........................................................................................................15 IV. Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................................17 A. Problem Diagnosis and Design .................................................................................................17 B. Project Implementation..............................................................................................................18 C. Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................................................................19 V. New Trends and Opportunities ........................................................................................................21 VI. Recommendations and Findings.....................................................................................................23 References.............................................................................................................................................25 Annexes 1. Summary of Project Profiles 2. Selected Project Profiles A. Bulgaria B. Croatia C. Ghana D. Jamaica E. Jordan F. Mexico G. Namibia H. Sri Lanka I. Tanzania 3. Sources for Additional Information on International Tourism and Development Tables 1 Number of USAID Projects with a Tourism Component by Major Development Objective..........9 Cover Photo: CAD Project ACRONYMS AECI Spanish Agency for International Cooperation AMIR Market-Friendly Initiatives and Results Program ARD Associates in Rural Development AWF African Wildlife Foundation BCEG Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Growth BIOFOR Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry CARPE Central African Regional Program for the Environment CBEP Community-Based Ecotourism Project CBNRM Community Based Natural Resource Management CCI Croatian Competitiveness Initiative CIDA Canadian International Development Organization CMP Coastal Management Partnership CRC Coastal Resources Center CSD7 United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development CWIP Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project DANIDA Danish International Development Agency DANTEI Development Assistance Network for Tourism Enhancement and Investment DfID British Department for International Development EAST Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism EGAT Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade FORIG Forestry Research Institute of Ghana GDA Global Development Alliance GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environmental Facility GIS Geographic Information System GTB Ghana Tourist Board GTZ German Technical Cooperation GWU George Washington University ICM Integrated Coastal Management IDB Inter-American Development Bank IDC Italian Development Cooperation IFC International Finance Corporation ILO International Labor Organization IMF International Monetary Fund IQC Indefinite Quantity Contract IUCN World Conservation Union JHTA Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Authority JTB Jordanian Tourist Board LIFE Living in a Finite Environment MET Minister of Environment and Tourism MICE Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibits NACOBTA Namibian Community-Based Tourism Association NACSO Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organizations NBSSI National Board of Small Scale Industries NCRC Nature Conservation Research Center NETSAP National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan NEW Group National Ecotourism Working Group NGO Nongovernmental Organization NOAA National Atmospheric and Oceanic Association NRM Natural Resources Management PDMG Portland Destination Management Group PGRC Plant Genetics Resource Center PiP Parks in Peril R2RW Ridge to Reef Watershed Project SDC Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SME Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise SNV Netherlands Development Organization SO Strategic Objective TBNRM Transboundary Natural Resources Management TCMP Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership TIES The International Ecotourism Society TMT Tourism Management Teams TNC The Nature Conservancy UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Program UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization URI University of Rhode Island USAID United States Agency for International Development USDI U.S. Department of Interior WCS Wildlife Conservation Society WID Women in Development WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development WTO World Tourism Organization WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council NAL IO AT N R E INT S NIC CHEMO The National Treasury Building at Petra, Jordan ii USAID’S PORTFOLIO IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM I. INTRODUCTION Increasingly over recent years, USAID missions have queried USAID/Washington bureaus and offices about how to use sustainable tourism to help achieve the Agency’s core development objectives. In response to the growing demand for information, USAID’s Offices of Natural Resources Management (NRM) and Women in Development (WID), along with the Regional Bureau for Africa, have embarked on a program to help missions design and implement sustainable tourism activities to achieve biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, economic growth, and poverty reduction and to address other important cross-cutting issues such as gender equity, health, and local governance. This paper provides an overview and broad understanding of tourism’s contribution to the world economy, and its existing and potential use to address global development issues. It describes ongoing initiatives by international organizations and U.S. federal agencies, and offers a more detailed synopsis of USAID’s recent portfolio of projects that have addressed tourism either as a primary objective or as a sub-component of another objective. Some of these projects have been selected for further analysis to highlight various interventions, their outcomes, reasons for success, and lessons learned. The report provides examples of methods and tools that have been used successfully to enhance the design, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of sustainable tourism related projects. Lastly, it identifies and assesses additional opportunities and provides recommendations for future Agency endeavors. The sustainable tourism industry in developing countries remains largely nascent, with international donor agencies using tourism as a tool for many, sometimes conflicting, development objectives, and a multiplicity of purposes. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive but rather provides insight into USAID’s tourism portfolio during the initial four years of this millennium and serves as a general prelude to the Agency’s sustainable tourism training modules for mission staff. Annex 1 and 2 include profiles for each of the selected USAID projects cited in the text. Annex 3 contains useful sources of reference for additional information on sustainable tourism. Sustainable Tourism Policy Forum USAID participated in the World Tourism Organization’s Tourism Policy Forum in October 2004, with a keynote presentation by USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios. ON I The first of its kind, the conference brought T A together representatives from donor NIZ A agencies, developing countries, and civil ORG society to discuss how sustainable tourism URISM can help fuel economic growth in developing O countries. It attracted more than 400