Appendix II: Typical Cases and Experience of Global Poverty Reduction Through Tourism
1. Inclusive poverty reduction through tourism in India
After entering this century, the Indian government decided to leverage tourism as an engine to drive economic growth and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. The “inclusive poverty reduction through tourism”
strategy aiming to promote the equal sharing of development results and then fundamentally decrease the number of poor people was proposed. After nearly ten years of practice, India has explored some ways and practices of inclusive poverty reduction through tourism in line with its national conditions and anti-poverty needs.
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Win-win through cooperation between local governments and civil society organizations.
Local governments and civil society organizations play a pivotal role in the India
’
s governance. They an important driving force for the “inclusive poverty reduction through tourism” strategy, mainly reflected as below. India uses the legislation to ensure the management power of local governments and civil society organizations on local tourism resources and intervening in economic and environmental issues arising from tourism development; establishes a functional committee participated by legal persons, tourism experts, government officials and local people to organize and monitor the construction of relevant tourism projects; requires construction units to obtain the no objection development certificate approved by the Ministry of Forestry and the National Pollution Control Committee before official start; develops different operational guidelines for different tourism resource development areas such as forests, oceans and lakes; sets up a responsible tourism action implementation working group chaired by the local government to study and formulate relevant baselines, pollution management and local procurement guidelines; establishes a forest protection committee to implement the participatory forest management; authorizes local companies to be responsible for the development and supply of quality products in destinations timely and safely; develops waste treatment programs with waste producers as the main body of responsibility to prevent communities from pollution; prepares regulations to protect local forests, lakes, rivers and other public natural resources; strengthens the infrastructure construction of tourist destinations to ensure smooth flow of water, electricity, gas, highways, waterways, railways, etc.; oversees and checks whether the relevant enterprises infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of workers and severely punish illegal enterprises.
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Joint development of tourism destinations by federal and local governments.
The Responsible Tourism Committee established at the state level is mainly responsible for formulating the state tourism strategic development plans and providing development frameworks for responsible tourism projects; offering specific policy and administrative guidance to make the responsible tourism operational; rendering direct assistance to the inferior unit(s) implementing the responsible tourism; planning, managing and regularly monitoring the implementation of responsible tourism programs; building and expanding responsible tourism development platforms; furnishing advice on relevant issues for partners and stakeholders in the same field; reviewing and evaluating the implementation of various policies and regulations by relevant tourism companies; ensuring the transparency of accountability feedback mechanisms and the fairness of accountability; supplying timely updates and guidelines for partners and stakeholders; and delivering direct policy advice to the highest decision-making body.
The primary government of a tourist destination is mainly responsible for developing and managing responsibility travel plans and project implementation manuals; ensuring the effective implementation of decisions and actions; participating in the planning of the tourism destination; coordinating the relationship among economy, society and environment through formulating detailed and realistic action plans; guaranteeing the rights and interests of various stakeholders in responsible tourism; supporting the professional management of destination responsible tourism implementation units; ensuring the transparency of implementation procedures of responsible tourism projects; and establishing the accountability system for relevant staff.
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Promotion of active engagement of farmers and related organizations.
The Indian government has taken measures to promote local farmers to reduce poverty, including supporting individual entrepreneurs, especially actively promoting organic farming activities to improve the enthusiasm for production; encouraging farmers to engage in agritainment with local resources and launching the rural life experience tourism activities; vigorously developing tourism enterprises in wholesale and retail, handicraft manufacturing, catering, etc. through tax reduction, policy provision and other preferences. By doing so, India has actively expanded the tourism industry chain, increased employment opportunities, and improve the living conditions of residents. Public welfare organizations and civil society organizations have also been encouraged to get active involved in poverty reduction through tourism to help state and local governments better exercise the responsible tourism, and to supervise government staff and business owners to ensure the effective implementation of relevant laws and regulations.
2. Poverty reduction through tourism by “Fair Trade” in Laos
Fair trade is recognized by the United Nations as one of the best practices in the field of poverty alleviation. In the past 70 years, fair trade certification has helped cooperative organizations in 74 countries, enabling more than 1.5 million people to successfully get rid of poverty.
Fair trade is actually a campaign to promote trade cooperation based on negotiation, transparency and respect, which aims at improving the position of small-scale agricultural producers and fairer international trade. Fair trade is beneficial to poverty reduction through tourism. In particular, it can bring many benefits to featured tourism producers. First, fair trade offers technical support, market information and training guidance to fundamentally ensure and improve the quality and technical level of products. Second, with certification and strict control of supply links, consumers can trust in producers and their products, helping to raise awareness and reputation and addressing the marketing. Third, products with fair trade labels are sold at a higher price than peer products, the remaining part of which is returned to producers in the form of subsidies for community development, in which way the common unstable income of producers and imperfect community infrastructure and public services in poor areas could be solved.
Laos is one of the least developed countries in the world, and fair trade plays an important role in promoting its poverty reduction through tourism. The Lao government and related organizations have done a lot of effective work in fair trade certification of handicrafts and agricultural products. For example, the interests of selling high-quality coffee beans in Bolaven Plateau had been mostly gained by middlemen, leading to unfair trade relations among producers, sellers and consumers. In order to improve this situation, the local government actively carried out fair trade certification with the help of relevant organizations, which has guaranteed the product prices and enabled producers to receive more reasonable profits. To make fair trade projects work better, some areas in Laos have adopted the model of “small producers” + “cooperatives”. In this model, cooperatives are local fair trade organizations and producers sell their products to cooperatives and get fair trade prices and social premiums, rather than selling directly in the market.
3. Poverty reduction through tourism in Pa
i
County
, Thailand
In recent years, tourism in Thailand has developed rapidly. In 2017, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand exceeded 35 million, a YoY increase of 8.77% in 2016, contributing 1.82 trillion baht (about RMB360 billion), a YoY increase of 11.66% in 2016. The development of tourism in Thailand has effectively promoted its poverty reduction through tourism. In addition to Doi Tung, Pai County is a typical case. Pai County is a geographically remote town in Thailand, but through hard work, it has become a paradise for leisurely and slow life, attracting tourists globally.
The first step is to clarify the positioning of rural tourism subjects. Pai County has actively developed the rural tourism slow life experience projects and built a variety of leisure restaurants and bars with featured and romantic life design integrated. Exotic flowers and plants outside houses and woodenly decorated style inside houses have created a warm atmosphere.
The second step is to actively develop unique tourism products. Relying on the surrounding wild mountain resources, Pai County has carried out sightseeing and leisure experience activities, allowing visitors to experience the true pure romantic charm of nature. Different leisure and holiday travel packages such as field leisure vacation, rural scenery tour and farm life experience tour have been provided to tourists based on their diverse needs.
The third step is to furnish quality tourism services to form the word-of-mouth effect, including constructing the Internet informatization to offer visitors efficient and convenient services and carrying out language training of service staff to improve the overall quality of the industry.
4. ST-EP program in two villages along the Mekong River in northern Cambodia
In May 2016, a ST-EP project in Preah Rumkel and Borey Osvay, two villages in northern Cambodia along the Mekong River was launched with the generous contribution from the Spanish foundation Europamundo and implemented by the renowned Cambodian NGO Mlup Baitong. The main objectives of the project are to empower community members and improve their living standard through promoting community-based ecotourism and environmental conservation. To achieve these, the following five outcomes were established, each with embedded activities:
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Improving management systems community-based ecotourism (CBET);
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Improving capacities of members of the Community-based Ecotourism Management Committee and tourism service providers of both CBET sites;
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Improving mechanism for protection of natural resources, especially the forest and the river dolphin;
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Advertisement/marketing mechanisms of both CBET sites are improved;
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Tourism facilities at both CBET sites are renovated.
The project facilitated the re-election of members of the Community-based Ecotourism Management Committees (CBETMCs) for each site: 15 CBETMC members (5 women) were elected for Preah Rumkel and 12 (5 women) for Borey Osvay with official recognition from the respective community councils. Members of the CBETMCs were also given guidance in providing tourism services to foreign visitors.
The project helped both CBET sites to improve their advertisement and marketing materials in order to increase the numbers of tourists, and compiled information and uploaded photos to the website of the Provincial Department of Tourism of Stung Treng. In collaboration with the CBETMCs for each ecotourism site, 6 attractive road maps and 5 billboards were produced and installed, and tour itineraries and tree planting areas for tourists were designed.
Additionally, the project collaborated with the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Tourism to organize two familiarization trips to advertise both CBET sites to potential visitors and stakeholders. Tour operators from renowned association companies (PATA and CATA), 15 hotel and guest house owners, and 10 university students from the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the University of Human Resource participated in these familiarization trips.
By the end of the project, the management capacities of both CBETMCs have been improved and the number of foreign visitors to Borey Osvay and Preah Rumkel reached an estimated 4,200 with a total generated income of about USD13,000 during the twelve months of project implementation.
5. Poverty reduction through tourism relying on the development of wildlife resources in Rwanda
Rwanda is rich in wildlife resources and has established a number of wildlife sanctuaries. Recent years have witnessed great development of tourism industry in Rwanda by relying on these protected areas and vigorously introducing social and foreign capital. In 2016, Rwanda
’
s tourism revenue exceeded USD400 million, and local residents also benefited extensively. Rwanda has taken some effective measures to reduce poverty in protected areas.
Firstly, vigorously fostering the growth and development of the private sectors. Rwanda has actively introduced private sectors and enterprises such as hotels, travel agencies, tourism development companies, and wildlife management agencies. The cooperation between government departments and private sector and enterprises has also been established to improve such functions as accommodation, catering, and sightseeing as well as promote the development, operations, marketing and upgrading of wildlife tourism.
Secondly, supporting joint ventures to participate in community development and construction. Joint ventures have been encouraged to intervene in community land development and construction for community land appreciation, handle the cooperative relationship with communities, and increase the capital flow and community welfare of residents, which can enhance the sustainable development of the community.
Thirdly, boosting the employment of local residents. Enterprises have been guided to hire surrounding residents to engage in tourism development and construction, which can increase the employment opportunities for local and poor people as well as the welfare level and per capita income of residents around the community. Rwanda has developed the sustainable tourism plans and trained practitioners to improve their overall quality and management skills as well as maximize the overall benefits. Rwanda has also enhanced the cooperation of vocational training organizations in the community with other countries and regions to improve the wildlife conservation and tourism development courses and methods, so as to achieve an effective alignment with the market demand.
Fourthly, escalating the marketization ability of the community. The business ties between the community and local entrepreneurs have been strengthened to avoid foreseeable market risks. Rwanda has also actively developed the high-end tourism market, strengthened large-scale cooperation with tourism enterprises and merchants, expanded the market influence of parks, hotels, hotels, etc., and lifted the market share of the community.
6. Kisiizi falls tourism project in Uganda
The Kisiizi Falls are located on the Rushoma River, on the way to the main National Parks in Western Uganda. The UNWTO ST-EP Foundation and the Korean Tourism Organization provided support to the Ministry of Tourism of Uganda in the implementation of the Kisiizi Falls tourism project.
The project aimed at enhancing tourist activities at Kisiizi Falls and helped build a visitor center, toilets, hiking trails, viewing points, a monument, a lagoon, a zip line, a hanging bridge, road signage and information boards. In addition, the project mobilized the community and provided training in guiding skills and hospitality services.
The implementation of the project has achieved good results. During the half of 2017, 7,856 visitors entered Kisiizi Falls, contributing to UGX 9.146 million and profit from the sales of tourism products reached UGX 2.577505 million. Community enterprises and residents benefited through the sales of tourism products and services. A part of the income generated from tourism goes to the Good Samaritan Fund that caters for the health costs of disadvantaged community members, who otherwise would not be able to afford medical care.
7. “Development pole” strategy and poverty reduction through tourism in Brazil
The tourism anti-poverty strategy model based on the “development pole strategy” features the basic idea of following the principle of regional development imbalance, that is, choosing and cultivating the tourism as a top priority as the driving force of regional economic development. Hence, the Brazilian government has given priority to investing in tourism, the “development pole” and formulated special preferential policies. On the one hand, tourism can enjoy favorable taxes, imports and exports, etc. On the other hand, tourism exploration and development enterprises can be sponsored by the Amazon Development Private Investment Fund and exempted from profits taxes and other concessions. Currently, Brazil has initially formed a tourism development pole network that drives the regional economic development with remarkable results.
In order to effectively play the role of the tourism development pole, Brazil has adopted a series of policy measures. First, establishing a special development agency to guide and organize the tourism development and planning. A top-down national support system has also been formed, which is composed of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Development Administration, the Special Economic Zone Administration and special development companies. Second, formulating and implementing tourism development plans for backward areas, aiming to promote economic development in the Amazon region through tourism development, especially to vigorously develop agricultural tourism, adjust regional industrial structure, optimize regional development structure and boost regional economic growth. Third, implementing various kinds of incentive policies to advance the construction of the development pole, including using fiscal stimulus to raise development funds and guiding private investment in tourism destinations; ensuring the smooth implementation of development plans through budgetary allocations; strengthening the development of regional transport and infrastructure such as hotels and accommodation; opening up free trade zones and reducing land use fees, etc. to attract foreign investment. Fourth, actively improving the quality of workers at tourist destinations. The Brazilian government has established the Northeast Education Fund to improve the quality of workers at tourist destinations through teacher training, free textbooks, and “remote teaching programs”.
8. Tourism development in Cancun, Mexico
Cancun was originally a poor area in Mexico. It was only a small fishing village with more than 2,000 inhabitants in the early 1970s. Local farmers who are mainly Mayans live in huts built with branches and palm leaves with meager income. In 1962, the Mexican federal government formulated the
National Tourism Strategy Development Plan
. In 1968, experts from various fields were organized to demonstrate the natural conditions and human landscapes as well as tourism target markets in Cancun, aiming to plan and develop it in the direction of tourism and a free trade zone. In 1972, the Mexican government began investing in building a tourist area and free trade center in Cancun. In 1975, Cancun was comprehensively planned for receiving tourists. Cancun has become an internationally renowned tourist destination with nearly one million inhabitants, receiving four or five million visitors a year and earning a third of the country
’
s revenue from tourism. The experience in tourism development includes three aspects.
First of all, tapping into scarce resources to create distinctive appeal. With a subtropical climate annually averaging 27℃, Cancun is suitable for coastal health resorts and the development of 3S resources for coastal tourism such as sunshine, beaches and oceans. Its rare serpentine shape generates outside seas and inner waters to form a unique scenery. The exploitation of these resources has laid the foundation for building Cancun into a world-class tourist resort. Cancun has further explored and revitalized the Mayan culture, the most distinctive cultural symbol here as a driving force for its tourism development.
