Pro-poor Tourism is simply, to my point of view, The Responsible approach to Tourism in Developing countries.
Despite international arrivals have declined worldwide by 4% in 2009 to 880 million, tourism continues to be one of the largest industries on Earth, generating an estimated 11% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employing 200 million people and transporting nearly 700 million international travellers per year – a figure that is expected to double by 2020 (UNWTO)
Developing countries currently have only a minority share of the international tourism market (approximately 30%) but this is growing, and there is no doubt that, the tourism industry makes important contributions to the economies of these countries, particularly to foreign exchange earnings, employment, and GDP.
A reduction in world poverty is an internationally agreed priority and targets have been set to halve poverty by the year 2015. Achieving poverty reduction requires actions on a variety of complementary fronts and scales, but a prerequisite of significant progress is pro-poor growth.
Since data shows that in most countries with a high level of poverty, tourism is significant or growing, we have to seriously consider taking action through promoting a tourism based on developing countries economic growth, that is to say, pro-poor tourism.
Pro-poor tourism, according to the definition given by Pro-poor Tourism Partnership Organization, which counts with the collaboration of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, which I truly respect, is that tourism that results in increased net benefits for poor people.
It is not a specific product or niche sector but an approach to tourism development and management. It enhances the linkages between tourism businesses and poor people, so that tourism's contribution to poverty reduction is increased and poor people are able to participate more effectively in product development.
There are many links with different types of 'the poor' need to be considered: staff, neighbouring communities, land-holders, producers of food, fuel and other suppliers, operators of micro tourism businesses, craft-makers, other users of tourism infrastructure (roads) and resources (water) etc.
Unfortunately, nowadays, a big share of the benefits generated by tourism activity in developing countries does not stay in the local communities that host the activity and, further away from that, the activity by itself creates a whole bunch of externalities like pollution, loss of culture or inflation that only worsens the already bad situation of poor people.
Strategies for making tourism more pro-poor should take into account the following aspects:
a) Increasing economic benefits; through expanding business opportunities for the poor, expanding employment opportunities for the poor, and enhancing collective/community income and access to infrastructure and/or basic services intended to support tourism but also benefiting the poor.
b) Enhancing non-economic benefits; capacity building, training, empowerment, mitigating the environmental impact of tourism on the poor, and addressing social and cultural impacts of tourism.
c) Policy/process reform; building a more supportive policy and planning framework, promoting participation, and bringing the private sector into pro-poor partnerships.
None of these strategies should be mistaken or confused with charity. It is my understanding that only those projects wanted and led by the local communities have a chance to make a difference.
In that sense, I had recently the privilege to visit, as a tourist, and a bit by chance, a couple tourism projects (Joal-Fadiouth in Senegal and Anapia Island in the Titikaka Lake, Perú), built in local communities, that originated from the local will to improve their economies benefiting from their resources, that they turned into tourism products on their own, an according to their own needs and wishes. It was encountering with this local entrepreneurship leading to outstanding results that I realized it is the way to go.
Fostering of a responsible tourism starts in ourselves deciding on being responsible tourists, and acting accordingly.
Once us, as tourists, explicitly make a point about we are in for it and will not take less than fair enough for the poor-communities that host tourism activities, the offer will have to go with the flow.
Fortunately, new trends in traveling, with tourists wanting to truly experience and discover a destination, getting to know people and culture more than just spotting sites and taking shots, is giving us a better framework to push the industry to develop pro-poor tourism strategies that should be embraced by every actor, from the private sector, the community organizations in destination countries, the international NGOs to the Governments.
In case you would like to deepen your knowledge about how to become more responsible while traveling, I recommend you have a look at the little Green Passport issued by UNEP that invites us to Travel Light, Travel Slow and Travel Right. Also, to another outstanding initiative led by the Banesto Foundation, “Turismo Solidaro y Sostenible en Africa”.
Despite international arrivals have declined worldwide by 4% in 2009 to 880 million, tourism continues to be one of the largest industries on Earth, generating an estimated 11% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employing 200 million people and transporting nearly 700 million international travellers per year – a figure that is expected to double by 2020 (UNWTO)
Developing countries currently have only a minority share of the international tourism market (approximately 30%) but this is growing, and there is no doubt that, the tourism industry makes important contributions to the economies of these countries, particularly to foreign exchange earnings, employment, and GDP.
A reduction in world poverty is an internationally agreed priority and targets have been set to halve poverty by the year 2015. Achieving poverty reduction requires actions on a variety of complementary fronts and scales, but a prerequisite of significant progress is pro-poor growth.
Since data shows that in most countries with a high level of poverty, tourism is significant or growing, we have to seriously consider taking action through promoting a tourism based on developing countries economic growth, that is to say, pro-poor tourism.
Pro-poor tourism, according to the definition given by Pro-poor Tourism Partnership Organization, which counts with the collaboration of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, which I truly respect, is that tourism that results in increased net benefits for poor people.
It is not a specific product or niche sector but an approach to tourism development and management. It enhances the linkages between tourism businesses and poor people, so that tourism's contribution to poverty reduction is increased and poor people are able to participate more effectively in product development.
There are many links with different types of 'the poor' need to be considered: staff, neighbouring communities, land-holders, producers of food, fuel and other suppliers, operators of micro tourism businesses, craft-makers, other users of tourism infrastructure (roads) and resources (water) etc.
Unfortunately, nowadays, a big share of the benefits generated by tourism activity in developing countries does not stay in the local communities that host the activity and, further away from that, the activity by itself creates a whole bunch of externalities like pollution, loss of culture or inflation that only worsens the already bad situation of poor people.
Strategies for making tourism more pro-poor should take into account the following aspects:
a) Increasing economic benefits; through expanding business opportunities for the poor, expanding employment opportunities for the poor, and enhancing collective/community income and access to infrastructure and/or basic services intended to support tourism but also benefiting the poor.
b) Enhancing non-economic benefits; capacity building, training, empowerment, mitigating the environmental impact of tourism on the poor, and addressing social and cultural impacts of tourism.
c) Policy/process reform; building a more supportive policy and planning framework, promoting participation, and bringing the private sector into pro-poor partnerships.
None of these strategies should be mistaken or confused with charity. It is my understanding that only those projects wanted and led by the local communities have a chance to make a difference.
In that sense, I had recently the privilege to visit, as a tourist, and a bit by chance, a couple tourism projects (Joal-Fadiouth in Senegal and Anapia Island in the Titikaka Lake, Perú), built in local communities, that originated from the local will to improve their economies benefiting from their resources, that they turned into tourism products on their own, an according to their own needs and wishes. It was encountering with this local entrepreneurship leading to outstanding results that I realized it is the way to go.
Fostering of a responsible tourism starts in ourselves deciding on being responsible tourists, and acting accordingly.
Once us, as tourists, explicitly make a point about we are in for it and will not take less than fair enough for the poor-communities that host tourism activities, the offer will have to go with the flow.
Fortunately, new trends in traveling, with tourists wanting to truly experience and discover a destination, getting to know people and culture more than just spotting sites and taking shots, is giving us a better framework to push the industry to develop pro-poor tourism strategies that should be embraced by every actor, from the private sector, the community organizations in destination countries, the international NGOs to the Governments.
In case you would like to deepen your knowledge about how to become more responsible while traveling, I recommend you have a look at the little Green Passport issued by UNEP that invites us to Travel Light, Travel Slow and Travel Right. Also, to another outstanding initiative led by the Banesto Foundation, “Turismo Solidaro y Sostenible en Africa”.
I leave you with an interesting video made for the non-profit event named the "Pro Poor Tourism" conference meant to create awareness of the hospitality industries impact on cultures of the world.
Main photo: school children playing on the Jambiani Beach, South East Zanzibar. The school is a project funded through Eco & Culture Tours, a company created by locals in order to fund local sustainable projects with the tourism activity benefits. Taken by me in october 2007.
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