Behind the latest UNWTO statement on Poverty Eradication “Tourism is vital to the global economy and an important contributor to the Millennium Development Goals†lie some 400 plus projects operating around the world with currently over $10bn of public, development agency funding.
It has been clear for some time that the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) that relate to poverty-reduction will not be met without the substantial involvement of tourism and tourism-related projects. Donors are warming to tourism for its “Sustainable Development†potential as well as for its proven record of creating jobs very quickly. Moreover 3 of the 8 MDGs could be targeted by tourism development – poverty reduction, promotion of gender equality and environmental sustainability.
From our investigations it appears that at least 400 tourism development projects have been in operation over the last 10 years in which period of time donor-funding for tourism-related projects has almost doubled. Asia/Near East has approximately 80 projects and over $3bn of funding, Europe and Eurasia 40 projects and $3bn funding, Latin America $1.5bn and 122 projects whilst Africa, seen by many as a focus for growth $700m and 82 projects.
Although “Tourism Development Plans†are generally formulated by ministries of tourism, funding often comes from donor banks/agencies. The formulation and execution of “Tourism Masterplans†is then often carried our by international tourism experts such as TTC (Iteland), THR (Spain), Touche Deloitte (UK), TDI (Ireland), Pohl (Germany), PWC & PA (USA), Carl Bro (Denmark), Agrer (Belgium) and Agriconsulting (Italy).
The funding has been supplied by such organizations as The World Bank, International Finance Corporation, European Union, development banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America and individual country organizations such as SNV (Netherlands), DFID (United Kingdom,), GTZ (Germany) and USAid.
Initial targets for MDGs are set to halve poverty by 2015, just 8 years hence so the pace is set to quicken dramatically.
World Bank financing and the provision of “Soft Tourism Loans†(to Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Bali and the Dominican Republic) is thought by many to have set the mass tourism movement alight in the 1970s. It could be that poverty eradication could provide another such stimulus 40 years on.
Valere Tjolle
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