Ecotourism in development cooperation

摘要

While it is not absolutely necessary to declare sustainable tourism (including ecotourism) a development cooperation priority, it should be officially acknowledged as an important tool for use in achieving overarching objectives such as biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. The adoption of consistent policies and guidelines in project design is mandatory if eco-tourism's potential to help achieve these goals is to be used fully. A cross-sectoral approach integrating economic development with conservation objectives and participatory planning is also necessary. Financial and technical cooperation programmes need to be adapted to the specific requirements of ecotourism projects (e.g. small- to medium-scale investments, community participation, training programmes, marketing support). On the institutional level, DC organizations should create ecotourism (or sustainable tourism) departments with a coordinating and advising role. These departments may be small, as long as professional personnel are assigned to them. Specific tasks such as market research and marketing support could be delegated to specialized NGOs or consultants on a contractual basis. This is also an option for smaller donors dealing with ecotourism only occasionally.