This issue of id21 insight focuses on pro-poor tourism and how far it really helps the poor:
- How pro-poor is tourism? New practices can reduce poverty: Pro-poor tourism should increase the benefits of the tourism industry for poor people. It is a term increasingly used by several development agencies, but what does it mean in practice? This issue of id21 insights looks at how pro-poor tourism has developed and explores some myths and misconceptions that have arisen around this term.
- Can the private sector mainstream pro-poor tourism? Businesses run tourism, from micro-enterprises to multinational companies. How companies conduct their business influences how far poor people benefit from tourism.
- Black Economic Empowerment - The South African approach: Inequality and unemployment still largely occurs along racial lines in South Africa, despite the end of apartheid. The government is addressing this by promoting Black Economic Empowerment throughout the economy.Pro-poor tourism is part of this.
- Government support in Lao PDR - How effective is it? Foreign exchange from tourism (over US$ 146 million in 2005) significantly benefits the national economy in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). This money stimulates local production and consumption in many sectors, including transport, agriculture and education, but does it benefit poor people?
- Linkages and leakages - Local supply and imports: Tourism is a major global industry, but is it good for developing countries? Since long-haul tourism to developing countries started in the late 1960s, many commentators have persistently claimed that tourism scarcely benefits the hosts. One suggested problem is the high level of leakages out of the destination country.
- Can all-inclusive tourism be pro-poor? A key aspect of pro-poor tourism is creating and - more importantly - maintaining employment opportunities for poor communities. All-inclusive tourism businesses and large hotels can provide jobs in developing countries. As such, they have a potentially important role in pro-poor tourism.
- Community-based tourism - Failing to deliver? Community-based tourism was a popular intervention during the 'ecotourism' boom of the 1990s. It is now being suggested as a form of pro-poor tourism. However, few projects have generated sufficient benefits to either provide incentives for conservation - the objective of ecotourism - or contribute to local poverty reduction.
