Development of Responsible Inclusive Tourism Model in Protected Areas of Bolivia
The proposal will develop an inclusive and responsible tourism model in the protected areas of Bolivia; with opportunities to generate inclusive businesses in areas of high potential for responsible tourism and where investment forms of private capital and of local communities can take place as consortium-societies. The proposal pretends to develop a model after supporting a sustainable development pilot initiative in the Protected Area of Madidi in Bolivia.
The proposal includes the identification of potentially touristic sites in protected areas; study of types of association between private capital and community capital; establishment of mechanisms for economic quantification and the ...
About You
Contact Information
Title
Title (e.g. Mr. Ms.
First name
Jhonn
Last name
Gómez
Your job title
Asesor
Name of your organization
-BoliviaSNV
Organization type
Organization Type
Annual budget/currency
Annual Budget/Currency
Mailing address
Mailing Address
Telephone number
Telephone Number
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Bolivia
Website
Email address
Alternative email address
Alternative email address
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
Av.Ballivián N° 7975, Torre Lucía, Piso 7
City
La Paz
State/Province
Murillo
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Bolivia
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of benefit to residents for the destination , Quality of tourism management by destination leadership , Quality of stewardship of the destination.
Organization size
Medium (101 to 1000 employees)
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Destination-stewardship business
Year innovation began
2009
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Indicate sector in which you principally work
Other.
Name Your Project
Development of Responsible Inclusive Tourism Model in Protected Areas of Bolivia
Describe Your Idea
The proposal will develop an inclusive and responsible tourism model in the protected areas of Bolivia; with opportunities to generate inclusive businesses in areas of high potential for responsible tourism and where investment forms of private capital and of local communities can take place as consortium-societies. The proposal pretends to develop a model after supporting a sustainable development pilot initiative in the Protected Area of Madidi in Bolivia.
The proposal includes the identification of potentially touristic sites in protected areas; study of types of association between private capital and community capital; establishment of mechanisms for economic quantification and the ...
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).
Operadores de Turismo, Prestatarios de servicios turísticos, 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, Innovación y diversificación en el desarrollo de productos turísticos, 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 develop a responsible and inclusive destination - within protected areas - using an inclusive touristic business model integrating private investment in local communities.
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 proposal will develop an inclusive and responsible tourism model in the protected areas of Bolivia; with opportunities to generate inclusive businesses in areas of high potential for responsible tourism and where investment forms of private capital and of local communities can take place as consortium-societies. The proposal pretends to develop a model after supporting a sustainable development pilot initiative in the Protected Area of Madidi in Bolivia.
The proposal includes the identification of potentially touristic sites in protected areas; study of types of association between private capital and community capital; establishment of mechanisms for economic quantification and the regulations of the touristic landscapes in protected areas as the contribution of capital of the local communities; determination of the facilitation role and support role of the National Service of the Protected Areas as a public entity responsible for the conservation and management of the area; labor regulations; organization of the community elected for the pilot experience; negotiation with associations and touristic business networks, as well as negotiation of agreements to develop the pilot experience of a tourism business.
Explain in detail why your approach is innovative
Protected Areas (APs) of Bolivia have important potential touristic products that are not being exploited for the benefit of the indigenous communities in spite of the efforts and policies made by the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP) to promote and facilitate the development of touristic entrepreneurships as an action compatible with conservation of the environment.
The lack of economic resources and business capabilities of the communities haven’t allowed the development of high quality tourism entrepreneurships, except for some experiences that had the support of NGOs – providing high levels of investment and mid-term periods. Meanwhile the demand for development alternatives puts at risk these conservation areas.
The proposal aims to develop an innovative model of responsible inclusive tourism that is replicable to all the Protected Areas, allowing the promotion of associative entrepreneurships between investors and local communities that are highly touristic with the win-win perspective. Local communities will be included in the value-chain in a fair way by recognizing the economic value of the environment and the touristic attractions and by considering economic value as part of their capital contribution.
This model will help SERNAP to facilitate the development of similar entrepreneurships, guaranteeing the safety of private sector investments and the generation of fair benefits-revenues for the communities.
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?
and the communities. However, these initiatives didn’t replicate. That is why it is important to develop a model that focuses in the economic inclusion and conservation principles promoted by SERNAP. These principles promote the development of consortiums-societies that guarantee fair benefits for the communities, as well as guarantee the safety of private investments.
SNV has advised more than 80 experiences of inclusive businesses. It did it with indigenous communities in Peru (Machu Picchu) generating positive impacts in employment and economic inclusion.
Tourism in Protected Areas contributes to the promotion and consciousness towards conservation and sustainable use of cultural and biodiversity patrimony. It constitutes an alternative for the generation of economic benefits for the local communities; and provides environmental, social, and economical sustainability for these areas.
It promotes the integrity of conservation and development, valuation of culture and fair distribution of the benefits of conservation.
The qualitative and quantitative impacts will be measured after the development of the first pilot experience. After that, the impacts of the private-community entrepreneurships will be measured in terms of economic inclusion of the local communities.
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?
National policies regarding Protected Areas in Bolivia seek to generate alternative ways of economic development for the local communities. Tourism becomes one of the most important options due to its potential to generate revenues and due to its compatibility with conservation. The development of an economic inclusion model will allow the incorporation of the private sector together with the local communities in a mutually-benefit partnership. Local communities will be included as direct partners due to their potential contributions.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
The Protected Areas have an important quantity, quality and diversity of touristic attractions that are visited by national and foreign tourists. The most visited places are the ones linked with touristic centers or touristic routes, where the interest is related with ecology, environment, and natural landscapes. By developing touristic entrepreneurships with full participation of the communities, we contribute to responsible tourism; that is the why the visitants are motivated to use community services in recognition to their commitment with environmental conservation.
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.
Tourism in Protected Areas is an important instrument to make people aware, orient values, attitudes and best practices for environmental conservation and care for natural resources.
At the same time, tourism in protected areas is an economic activity with important social effects; it strengthens the relation and commitment of the communities with conservation actions. In this sense, tourism contributes with environmental and social sustainability and with the generation of employment in the Protected Areas.
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.
In the initial stage it was funded with SNV resources: Design of an inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship model. SNV designated a specialist who allocated 25% of his/her time and a planning specialist who allocated 10% of his/her time to this labor.
If the support to this initiative is approved, a 50% co-funding will be guaranteed by SNV, SENARP, the community and private investors.
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? Is there a potential demand for your innovation?
The model of inclusive businesses is highly sustainable due to the fair incorporation of local inhabitants in the design and development of the value-chain, as well as the fair treatment of providers of services, distributors and also consumers. The community inclusive businesses create benefits and revenues while generating active co-responsibility to secure conservation.
We want to empower and include the populations of the Protected Areas of Bolivia.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
Taking a wide look, we don’t see any important barriers since 1) there is an emergent need to generate alternatives for inclusive economic development of the local communities, alternatives that are compatible with environmental conservation and for environmental and social sustainability of the protected areas 2) a national policy for protected areas already exists and it promotes inclusive tourism 3) there is a need to develop an alternative model so the business sectors –together with the communities – guarantee fair agreements for the communities and safety of private investments. However, to guarantee a normal management, implementation, and future replication we will need to develop communication and informational processes, regulations of public laws, and to promote open negotiations among communities and investors
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.
This initiative will be developed through the generation of public policy that will promote inclusive tourism entrepreneurships in Areas Protected by SERNAP - management authority of Protected Areas in Bolivia. This way, the definition of a responsible tourism model, development of a pilot proposal, will allow a parallel development or adjustment of the policies, regulations, instruments or actions needed for the generation of a favorable environment for the development of these entrepreneurships. At the same time, associations and potential investors will be involved in the creation of networks to replicate this model in the future.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
We are two professionals dedicated to promote inclusive and responsible tourism in order to improve the conditions of living of the communities.
Jhonn Gomez, agronomist, planner, and environmentalist specialized in public policy. I was director of Protected Areas of Bolivia. Currently, I’m an Advisor of SNV - Bolivia regarding processes for strategic planning and incidence in national public policy for the adjustment of the Planning System in Bolivia.
Scarlet Illanes, professional of tourism specialized in Direction and Management of tourism businesses. I was Director of Tourism at a Department Level. Currently, I’m an advisor of SNV – Bolivia for the tourism, inclusive business, and touristic destinations with economic inclusion program.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell the Changemakers and media communities what prompted you to start this initiative.
SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) is an institution with social objectives that provides strategic consultancies, technical assistance, and innovative solutions to eradicate poverty and inequity. SNV has more than 150 professional staff located in 32 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Balkans. SNV promotes the capabilities of public sector, private sector, and actors for development of solutions that promote good governance, increase in economic income and employment for low-income populations, promoting also access to basic services.
Regarding the origin of this innovation: 1) the need of the local indigenous communities that live in protected areas to have alternatives to use - in a sustainable way - the natural resources for their own development; while feeling the commitment with the conservation of these places while the areas provide them with economic benefits without damaging the environment. 2) The need to implement a national policy for the management of Protected Areas in Bolivia. Policy that seeks to generate economic benefits for the indigenous communities located inside the protected areas, through environmental conservation and by complying with their rights, grounded by the 169 ILO Agreement. 3) The lack of control, regulation and development of the touristic activity in the Protected Areas, which is generating negative impacts in the conservation of those areas, since the communities are neither part of these activities nor part of their direct benefits. 4) the need to promote “safe” alternatives for the development of private sector entrepreneurships and investments; with the perspective of contributing with economic inclusion of the communities and generation of employment, better income, and reduction of poverty.
SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) is an institution applying to this contest. SNV has developed and implemented more than 80 inclusive businesses projects in Latin America through partnerships with private businesses. Those inclusive businesses have benefitted a big number of people at the base of the economic pyramid. In addition, SNV has developed, in Bolivia, successful experiences of institutional strengthening and generation of public policies at the sub-national public sector level for the strategic planning and economic inclusion development. From the developed experiences and from the perspectives of tourism in the development agendas, we have considered that tourism at the Protected Areas as a potential factor for Bolivia’s compliance with its national policies of development, economic inclusion and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
Describe some unique tourist experiences that your approach provides. Be specific; give illustrative examples.
The possibility of institutionalizing a public model that provides the opportunity of development of private and community entrepreneurships focused in economic inclusion. Inclusive businesses unify the value-chain and the market with the communities, facilitating responsible tourism that contributes to the generation of employment and that promotes development of poor communities. These businesses do it without neglecting the commitment towards biodiversity and environmental conservation of these areas; making it an unprecedented model for the development of tourism.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
SERNAP is a public entity responsible for managing the Protected Areas of Bolivia as national heritage and for promoting alternatives for development of local communities located inside the Protected Areas.
The Vice-Ministry of Tourism, the National Council of Eco-tourism, and the National Committee of Eco-tourism are searching for synergies from working with a) businesses that provide touristic services that operate at the destinations, b) organizations linked with tourism and that have important economic resources to start profitable businesses in the tourism sector, and 3) associations of communities that are recipients of the proposal.
 | 209 weeks ago Patricia Breuer Moreno submitted this idea. |
