Recent projects (2005 - 2009)

Coordination of a process to adapt ITC guidelines for community-based tourism feasibility assessments, and re-focus on inclusive business and value chain diagnostics. Revision of two training modules in collaboration with the Overseas Development Institute: (1) a tourism training module to address poverty reduction through responsible tourism, and (2) an agricultural training module.

Links:
International Trade Centre Export-Led Poverty Reduction Program - www.intracen.org/poverty-reduction
Overseas Development Institute - www.odi.org.uk

Review of relevant strategies and plans, interviews with key stakeholders in SANParks, and development of a strategy and implementation plan. In collaboration with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism – South Africa

Links:
South African National Parks - www.sanparks.org

Development of National Responsible Tourism Standards and a National Accreditation process for South Africa for DEAT and the Tourism Grading Council. The process of development included a situational analysis of certification programs and stakeholder analysis. The final product is aligned with both the Global Criteria for Sustainable Tourism and the national responsible tourism guidelines.

Links:
Global Criteria for Sustainable Tourism - www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org
National Responsible Tourism Guidelines for South Africa - Download here (76 KB, pdf file)

This seminar was held in Maputo, Mozambique, in November 2008. It focused on the contribution of ecotourism to community development, poverty reduction and financing of protected areas, as well as related social and environmental issues. This event was intended to provide opportunities for countries in the region to present experiences and examples, as well as analyzing the case of Mozambique and the Great Limpopo National Park, in order to reflect and discuss on the opportunities and challenges of ecotourism, related policy issues and management techniques. The seminar aimed at providing a practical experience for policy makers, managers, operators and development organizations involved in ecotourism, through dynamic exchanges and concrete examples.

Links:
United Nations World Tourism Organization Official Proceedings - Download here (682 KB, pdf file)

• Session 1: Creating an enabling environment for nature conservation and ecotourism development
  Download here (4,535 KB, pdf file)
• Session 2: Reducing poverty and providing community benefits through supply chains
  Download here (3,055 KB, pdf file)
• Session 3: Supporting nature conservation through tourism
  Download here (5,013 KB, pdf file)

Identification of the most viable conservation based business options for SMMEs for the Richtersveld World Heritage Site, under a World Bank Project. Works include an analysis of conditions for sustainable tourism and identification of barriers to investment. Participatory planning and stakeholder interviews used to develop a (i) a competitive strategy; (ii) an implementation action plan; and (iii) a performance monitoring and impact assessment system.

Links:
Richtersveld World Heritage Site - www.richtersveld-conservancy.org

Technical cooperation to develop a proposal and terms of reference for funding applications for agritourism, cultural tourism and nature-based tourism activities.

Links:
UNWTO - Sustainable Tourism - www.world-tourism.org/frameset/frame_sustainable.html

The ASL Foundation identified the need and the opportunity to improve the best practice information sharing through the links established in certain countries by the work of the Ford Foundation. A series of Southern African case studies were developed for information dissemination of best practice workshops between South Africa, India and Brazil. The case studies included Phinda Private Game Reserve and Rocktail Beach Lodge in South Africa, and the Torra Conservancy in Namibia.

Case studies developed address the policy context, planning and development, tourism products and activities, impacts (environmental, social and economic) and current issues and replicability. Three of the case studies developed focus on Phinda Private Game Reserve and Rocktail Beach Lodge in South Africa, and the Torra Conservancy in Namibia.

Links:
African Safari Lodges Foundation & other presentations : http://www.asl-foundation.org/news.php?id=241&catid=

• Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
  Download here (7,047 KB, pdf file)
• Rocktail Beach Lodge, South Africa
  Download here (5,018 KB, pdf file)
• Torra Conservancy, Namibia.
  Download here (4,537 KB, pdf file)

Identification of potential areas of support in improving the business environment and providing access to skills and business development services, and access to finance for tourism related businesses and entrepreneurs. (Now being implemented)

Identification of potential local producers and suppliers and facilitation of linkages and sourcing agreements including fruit and vegetable production, free range chickens and tourism activities to supply ACCOR hotels in Dakar. Development of a project document for a 5-year program.

Links:
International Trade Centre, UNCTAD - www.intracen.org

Evaluation of tourism trends, stakeholder activities, and potential development agency interventions to promote pro-poor tourism. Evaluation of capacity building needs and actions in tourism in northern Mozambique, with in situ stakeholder analysis and evaluation of activities and gaps in pro-poor tourism interventions, and development of a tourism capacity development plan.

Links:
SNV-Mozambique - /www.snvworld.org/en/regions/esa/Pages/default.aspx

An evaluation of tourism management education in nine African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia) among both tertiary and technical vocational education institutions and the private sector. This report summarizes the findings presented to the International Finance Corporation Global Business School Network.

Download here (1,410 KB, pdf file)

Six-monthly supervision missions to evaluate progress of the World Bank TFCA program in Mozambique, with site visits and assessments in Matatuine, Vilanculos, Gaza and Sussudenga: The Lubombo TFCA; Limpopo TFCA and Chimanimani TFCA.

If you are a traveller or tour operator interested in responsible tourism - where travel contributes towards conservation and poverty alleviation – you can search among the wealth of accommodation facilities on the website that are available in southern Africa that are community-based. By visiting one of the listed community-based tourism facilities on the online directory or by including it in a tour itinerary, you can contribute towards the sustainable development of tourism in Africa.

What accommodation is included in the directory?
The online directory contains product and accommodation information on nearly 200 enterprises in southern Africa. As community-based products they are either:

* located within a community (e.g. on communal land, or with lease fees paid to the community); or
* owned by one or more community members (i.e. for the benefit of one or more community members); or
* managed by community members (i.e. community members can influence decisions made about running the business).

Also included is information on how each enterprise benefits the local community. This will help you to make informed decisions about the enterprise you want to visit - whether it is a township B&B run by an indigenous entrepreneur, a joint-venture lodge where a community has a partnership with a private sector operator, or perhaps a campsite owned, run and managed by the community itself

Where are they located?
The accommodation facilities are located in countries across southern Africa including Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Contact information for each enterprise is included, so you can make reservations and bookings directly with the enterprise you are interested in.

What type and standard of accommodation is available?
Accommodation standards cover a range that will suit any budget - from luxury safari camps in protected areas to township B&Bs, backpackers, homestays, traditional chalets, guesthouses, hotels, and rustic campsites in rural areas. These enterprises also offer much more than just a place to sleep - many have opportunities for activities such as cultural tours, guided wildlife tours, hiking and watersports (and many many more). Each enterprise was been visited by a project representative to ensure it is suitable for tourists to visit - with adequate quality, safety and hospitality standards.

Background to the directory
A Community-Based Tourism Enterprise directory was developed in 2006 as an initiative of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the Regional Tourism Organisation for Southern Africa (RETOSA), and the Netherlands Development Organisation SNV. It was created in an effort to improve the access that small tourism businesses have to tourists and tour operators by providing more detailed information in a more accessible way on the internet.
Although the developers and numerous regional collaborators are realistic about the likely impacts of the directory, ultimately with more customers the CBT enterprises will be more commercially viable and be able to contribute to poverty alleviation in the long-term.

Market Access Training Manual
As part of the development of this directory, the project team devised and tested a Market Access Training Manual. This manual provides simple guidance for community-based enterprises to increase their accessibility to the marketplace. It includes clear information with examples and exercises on market access, unique selling points, pricing, commissions, advanced bookings and channels to markets.

Links :
Community-based tourism enterprise directory for Southern Africa - www.community-tourism-africa.com (& click on the ‘Community-Based Tourism’ button)
Market Access Training Manual - Download here (956 KB, pdf file)

Economic impact assessment on tourism and ecotourism, incorporating scenario analysis, evaluation of potential for scheduled and charter airlines, and implications for local and provincial economic development.

Project leader of two resource economics projects for the WWF-Mozambique and FNP. Firstly, an evaluation was undertaken of existing financing and status of protected areas in Mozambique, and development of a consolidated financial model for future costs and revenues was developed. Secondly, an economic valuation of natural resources in Mozambique was implemented. This entailed an evaluation of the economic value people prescribe to natural resources, in a national park (Bazaruto), an area with community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) (Chirendzene Sacred Forest) and no CBNRM (Vilanculos).

Development of a Responsible Tourism Curriculum for Tibet. Evaluation of existing tourism curriculum at Tibet University and development of a semester-long undergraduate course on ecotourism. Liaison with local and international agencies, including the private sector and policy makers in Tibet. Teaching the module to Tibetan tourism educators at Columbia University both in New York and in Tibet.

Development of criteria for Caribbean countries to participate in a Sustainable Tourism Zone; profiling countries; environmental audits; SWOT analysis and development of action plans

Links :
Association of Caribbean States - www.acs-aec.org

Desk and market research to evaluate sustainable tourism certification schemes used in the Caribbean, and UK and European travel and trade industry perceptions of those schemes..

Links :
Association of Caribbean States - www.acs-aec.org

Development of criteria for Caribbean countries to participate in a Sustainable Tourism Zone; profiling countries; environmental audits; SWOT analysis and development of action plans

Links :
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa - www.fairtourismsa.org.za

Formulation of project components and program budgets for SEATIP. Components incorporate a spatial frameworks for tourism routes in southern Mozambique and tools to promote an enabling environment for sustainable private sector investment. Activites include analysis of opportunities for the 2010 soccer World Cup and cost -benefit analysis of the program.

Links :
International Finance Corporation - www.ifc.org

Guidance for ecotourism and coastal use zonation schemes in five West African countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia), in addition to ecotourism and coral reef management and biodiversity conservation projects in four East African countries (Kenya, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania). Facilitation of sub-regional workshops and evaluation of proposed demonstration sites on the ground in Senegal, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria and Mozambique. Definition of national and local pilot demonstration activities and development of a monitoring framework and indicators.

Links :
UNIDO - www.unido.org

Mentoring of CSIR staff to develop a nature-based tourism research program. Facilitation of discussions and guidance regarding opportunities for research linking tourism, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation.

Links :
CSIR - Environmentek - www.csir.co.za

Production and testing of indicators for sustainable coastal and marine ecotourism in a pilot program for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) in South Africa. Activities included the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework.