BOCAS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ALLIANCE
Location
The ultimate goal of the organization is to conserve one of the most important watersheds in Central America. Currently, the remarkable ecology of the Bocas del Toro watershed is under threat from unplanned and incongruous tourism and residential development. To respond to the threat of unplanned development, tourism stakeholders in the region have decided to create a Destination Management Organization (DMO), known as the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance (BSTA), with the following objectives: (i) develop best management practices for stakeholders in the Bocas del Toro watershed: (ii) inform tourists about the culture and nature based activities that can be experienced in Bocas and ...
About You
Contact Information
Title
Ms.
First name
Renee
Last name
Kimball
Your job title
President
Name of your organization
Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance (www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com)
Organization type
NGO
Annual budget/currency
$70,000
Mailing address
1722 Scenic Shore, Kingwood, TX, USA
Telephone number
5073800721
Postal/Zip Code
77345
Country
United States
Email address
Alternative email address
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
Bocas Town
City
Isla Colon
State/Province
Bocas del Toro
Postal/Zip Code
1234
Country
Panama
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of tourist experience and educational benefit to tourists , Quality of benefit to residents for the destination , Quality of tourism management by destination leadership , Quality of stewardship of the destination.
Organization size
Small (1 to 100 employees)
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Destination-stewardship business
Year innovation began
2008
Place your video embed code here from YouTube, Google Video and other video sharing websites. How to embed a video from YouTube.
Paste your code here
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Destination aesthetics, General destination stewardship/management.
Name Your Project
BOCAS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ALLIANCE
Describe Your Idea
The ultimate goal of the organization is to conserve one of the most important watersheds in Central America. Currently, the remarkable ecology of the Bocas del Toro watershed is under threat from unplanned and incongruous tourism and residential development. To respond to the threat of unplanned development, tourism stakeholders in the region have decided to create a Destination Management Organization (DMO), known as the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance (BSTA), with the following objectives: (i) develop best management practices for stakeholders in the Bocas del Toro watershed: (ii) inform tourists about the culture and nature based activities that can be experienced in Bocas and ...
IDB/Fomin
Si perteneces a un pais de Latinoamerica y el Caribe tienes la oportunidad de presentar tu iniciativa para acceder a fondos para innovaciones en turismo sostenible del BID/FOMIN (para mayor informacion leer la seccion sobre la oportunidad BID/FOMIN en la pagina principal del Desafio).
Deseo postularme.
Si perteneces a un pais de Latinoamerica y el Caribe tienes la oportunidad de presentar tu iniciativa para acceder a fondos para innovaciones en turismo sostenible del BID/FOMIN (para mayor informacion leer la seccion sobre la oportunidad BID/FOMIN en la pagina principal del Desafio).
Consumidores (viajeros), Mayoristas, Agentes detallistas, Operadores de Turismo, Prestatarios de servicios turísticos, Prestatarios de servicios no turísticos (proveedores), Grupos comunitarios autóctonos, Atractivos naturales y culturales.
Indica cuales de estas tematicas cubre tu innovacion (elige todas aquellas opciones que apliquen)
Planificación y Gestión de destinos, Profesionalización, buenas prácticas y certificación de servicios turísticos sostenibles, Estrategias y herramientas innovadoras para la promoción y puesta en mercado de destinos y productos en turismo sostenible y geoturismo..
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation? Please describe in one sentence the kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
To apply geotourism principles in order to preserve the cultural and natural assets of Bocas while enhancing sustainable tourism development.
Please write an overview of your project. Include how your approach supports or embodies geotourism or destination stewardship. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the map located on the competition homepage.
The ultimate goal of the organization is to conserve one of the most important watersheds in Central America. Currently, the remarkable ecology of the Bocas del Toro watershed is under threat from unplanned and incongruous tourism and residential development. To respond to the threat of unplanned development, tourism stakeholders in the region have decided to create a Destination Management Organization (DMO), known as the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance (BSTA), with the following objectives: (i) develop best management practices for stakeholders in the Bocas del Toro watershed: (ii) inform tourists about the culture and nature based activities that can be experienced in Bocas and facilitate booking of these activities through a geotourism information center and Web site (www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com) (iii) diversify the tourism products available in Bocas by identifying and supporting the development of culture and nature based tours and packages; (iv) facilitate training programs for natural resource management, guiding, and other tourism services; and (v) generate revenue to support local conservation efforts in the region.
Explain in detail why your approach is innovative
Our strategy to create a DMO (guided by geotourism) began at the local level with a diverse group of stakeholders (business owners, artists, teachers, etc.) who came together to create something new and innovative to change the way tourism was managed and promoted in Bocas. The group—or the “Geotourism Stewardship Council”—explored this idea by visiting local communities and engaging people face to face. This allowed the Council to discover a wide perspective of ideas for promoting tourism while enlisting local support for the initiative. A Web site was created to promote the initiative and establish an online community. This site features “community-building” functionalities where locals can hold online discussions about issues. A waste management committee has already formed. On the consumer-focused Web site, the individual businesses and packages available throughout Bocas will be featured. A tourist information center on the main island will act as a hub for distributing information about local tourism products, educate tourists on how to travel responsibly, and promote the culture and history of Bocas. The website and tourism informational center will generate revenue through commissions on reservations and merchandise sales, allowing it to sustain itself while generating funds to support local conservation initiatives.
Impact
Describe the degree of success you have had to date. How do you measure, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impact on sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How has it transformed or contributed to the power of place or demonstrated the sustainability of tourism? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
Change....we have organized and achieved consensus among the local community for establishing a DMO. So many different players in Bocas has made working together a challenge in the past an huge accomplishment for this initiative. Watching the stakeholders work together to come up with solutions to problems is exciting. It is transforming the community. By working together, we have the strength and power to mitigate the threats while maximizing the benefits of tourism. Implementing best practices across all the stakeholder groups contributes to the sustainability of tourism here in Bocas del Toro. To date, our group has established a Board of Directors and is in the process of registering the BSTA as an NGO. We have launched a Web site for the initiative and are collecting content for the consumer-focused Web site. We have created a variety of new packages and day tours that will be promoted and sold through the consumer-focused web site and the tourism information center. We have rented an office space on the main island to house the information center and have begun its revitalization to make it a welcoming place for tourists to come and obtain information about activities and accommodations available in Bocas.
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your work, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
Bocas del Toro is dependent upon its natural resources to support tourism. We are working with the community and its different stakeholder groups to implement geotourism principles. We have several indigenous communities, the local boatmen union, and locals involved both on our Board of Directors and in our committees. We seek input from each of the different stakeholder groups in order to reach consensus on issues through meetings, workshops, emails, surveys, and through the community-building section of our initiative’s website. The community and different governmental entities are interested in what we are doing and are also asking to participate.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
Tourism demand has evolved with tourists now seeking more authentic experiences. Tourists want to experience, share, and learn during their holiday. Our objective is to teach tourists about the wonders of our archipelago and mainland resources while engaging the local community to benefit from tourists. The BSTA is working to connect the two groups by working with the community to improve upon their product offerings and then telling visitors about it. A connected tourist is a happy and engaged tourist.
Describe how your work helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues.
We are raising awareness of Boca’s geotourism assets through the web site, information center, and a geotourism nomination process. We have asked local residents to tell us what is special about Bocas and what “four perfect days” on the archipelago would consist of. By cataloging these assets, we are educating the locals on what is valuable in Bocas del Toro and helping them understand why it needs to be protected. The same information will be used to create new and exciting packages so that travelers can experience the best that Bocas has to offer!
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
The USAID Conservation of Central American Watersheds Program has funded the initial establishment of the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance. We are working to implement a business plan that will make our initiative financially sustainable. We are in the process of developing some strategic alliances, increasing our membership base, and organizing a fundraising event to cover our basic costs (geotourism information center and staff). We are seeking to develop a concession agreement with a local tour operator that will manage the sale of tours so that the alliance may receive part of the commissions. We are aiming to have two staff: a Bocas Sustainable Alliance Executive Director and a Sales and Reservations Coordinator and work with local and international volunteers. We estimate our annual budget need to be around US$ 70,000 including staff and local office expenses. Volunteers from the local community may also be utilized to staff the information center.
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? Is there a potential demand for your innovation?
Over time we expect our initiative to be financially and organizationally sustainable. We are working to implement a business plan at this time. We are working on hiring employees to support the organization. All of our officers and Board of Directors work on a volunteer basis and will always do so. There is definitely a demand for this innovation. We need to manage Bocas del Toro’s resources and respect the carrying capacity of each resource. Working with members and stakeholders to implement best practices is key to our destination management.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
The main barrier we face is the time it will take to become fully operational and financially sustainable. With time, we are confident that we will develop the revenue generating opportunities that will sustain the organization but realize that we may not begin turning a profit for several months. However, it is imperative we hold seminars on best practices and other awareness campaigns early on to share information and generate support for the initiative. During these beginning stages, we could also benefit from additional funding to cover promotional materials, awareness campaigns and organize training events and seminars.
What is your plan to expand or further develop your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
We are working to establish partnerships with international and national organizations and tour operators to gain exposure, create market linkages, and possibly expand our model to the overall province of Bocas del Toro, other regions of Panama, and La Parque Internacional La Amistad. We would like to focus some attention on preventing mega-real estate development that is threatening our natural resources. Educating and asking tourists and potential investors to demand more sustainable practices might put pressure on developers to change their approach..
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
The Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance (BSTA) is a newly formed not-for-profit organization responsible for identifying, developing, and marketing the geotourism assets of Bocas del Toro while furthering conservation efforts in the region. Visit our website www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com.
BSTA is composed of ecolodge owners, representatives from various communities, tour providers, representatives from tropical farms, and environmental associations.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell the Changemakers and media communities what prompted you to start this initiative.
In less than a decade, tourism in Bocas del Toro has increased dramatically due to a marketing campaign led by the Panamanian Institute of Tourism. However, infrastructure development and tourism services have not followed adequate development policy to support the increase. As the influx of visitors continue to grow, the potable water system routinely fails to meet demand. Wastewater treatment is inadequate and the solid waste disposal the ecology of the area is being damaged due to rapid development and expansion of tourist amenities without consideration of the greater impacts to culture and environment. There is not enough potable water, the wastewater treatment facilities are inadequate, and the solid waste disposal consists of a massive inferno to burn the garbage before it falls into the Carribean Sea.
USAID Conservation of Central American Watersheds Program contracted Solimar International to provide technical assistance to implement a new strategic approach to tourism development in Bocas del Toro. The administrative guide is a destination management organization whose ultimate objective is to raise consensus among tourism stakeholders to implement better natural resource management practices. The time was right for such initiative. Following the failure of several environmentally ruinous real estate developments, many of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, communities and individuals within Bocas del Toro were ready to make a change and promote different way of developing tourism. In order to sustain the destination and the economy for the future, the DMO will generate revenue and facilitate innovative solutions to deal with waste management, potable water, development plans—while diversifying the tourism products available and marketing Bocas as a sustainable tourism destination.
Describe some unique tourist experiences that your approach provides. Be specific; give illustrative examples.
Pre-Colombian indigenous societies managed complex tropical ecosystems of hundreds of species in areas as small as a hectare. The Ngobe people are one of these groups and currently reside in small communities throughout the Bocas del Toro archipelago. They subsist from the remanents of their knowledge of their ancestor’s tropical home gardens. BSTA has reached out the some of these communities to help them realize the interest and value of their knowledge of living intricately linked to the tropical forest. The BSTA is developing packages where tourists can walk with an Ngobe healer to learn about medicinal plants, stay in the community and eat foods prepared from the home garden. This will help the community realize the diversity and importance of their heritage that is quickly disappearing.
BSTA is developing many more new and interesting day tours led by individuals from the various communities. Tourists will be able to go on an iguana “hunt” led by a member of the Old Bank community on the island of Bastimentos. They will pass through the forest and abandoned cocoa plantations, learn from Afro-Antilles about the history of the place—from Colombus sailing past, to the beginnings of the banana empire, to the war with Colombia on the doorstep of the Old Banks. Visitors will also learn about the rise and fall of the chocolate trade and understand Old Bank as it exists today while experiencing nature through the eyes of someone who has lived in it for their entire lives.
BSTA is facilitating other nature based-tours, including sea turtle viewing at night and a river exploration to view manatees. The intent of all of the tours is to raise awareness of the local natural and cultural assets while generating a source of revenue to incentive to conserve them.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
We have partnered with Sustainable Travel International and are partnering with the Panamanian sustainable tourism association (APTSO) to create linkages with national and international tourism organizations. We seek to develop alliances with conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Smithonian Institute, and World Wildlife Fund to work together to address some of the key conservation issues the destination is facing.
We are also exploring an alliance to intercept the number of tourists travelling from Puerto Viejo to Bocas. This bi-national strategic alliance with Costa Rica would increase awareness, visitation, and length of stay within La Parque Internacional La Amistad.
 | Bocas Sustainab... said: Dana - Thank you for taking a look at our application. At this time we have fourteen organizations and private individuals ... about this Competition Entry. - 987 days ago read more > |
| danafrasz said: Hello Ms.Kimball, I enjoyed reading your entry and its clear that you have a sincere concern for the local culture and environment. ... about this Competition Entry. - 988 days ago read more > |
| Bocas Sustainab... submitted this idea. - 997 days ago |
