Community Benefits and Participation in Ecotourism

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Community Benefits and Participation in
Ecotourism

• The Olango Birds and Seascape Tour

Ma. Monina M. Flores President,
ECoVentures Foundation
National Ecotourism Planning Workshop, Clark
Field, Pampanga 27-29
November 2001
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What is the Olango Birds and Seascape Tour
project?

• An ecotour enterprise
• Owned and operated by SOEC, a fishing community
  coop
• Part of a Coastal Resource Management strategy

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A multi-awarded project
Environmental Experience Award British Airways
Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2001
Highly Commended awardee Conservation
International Excellence in
Ecotourism Awards 2000
Merit Award for Program/Project Directed at
Specific Stakeholder/Community Philippine Anvil
Awards 2000
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How it qualifies as an ecotourism venture

• Natural destination
• 2. Experiencing nature culture of a region
• Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary
• Gilutungan Marine Sanctuary
• Fishing village setting

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How it qualifies as an ecotourism venture

• Contributes to the conservation of the natural
  environment
• Entrance and user fees
• Community share in managing a part of a protected
  area

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How it qualifies as an ecotourism venture

• Educates the tourist about the environment
• Built-in time for environment briefing
• Naturalist guide

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How it qualifies as an ecotourism venture

• Respects and enhances the local culture
• Benefits the local community
• Developed implemented with by the community
• Owned operated by the community

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How it qualifies as an ecotourism venture

• Responsible travel
• Material sourcing
• Tour operation
• Facilities
• Transfers
• Marketing messages
• Others

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How it qualifies as a community tourism venture

• Project acceptance
• Decision making
• Participation in entire project process
• Control of ecotourism development

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How it qualifies as a community tourism venture

• Ownership and management of
  the enterprise
• Accrual of full benefits
• Organization for community participation and
  leadership
• Representation to institution / public

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Profile of Business

• Product itinerary
• Visitor arrivals
• Summary of benefits
• Costing pricing
• Marketing channels

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1. Product Itinerary
The route, schedule and sequence of activities
are subject to change depending on the time of
the tide and weather conditions. For the OVST
(without the bird watching part), guests can be
back in Mactan between 200 300 p.m. Tours can
be started at an earlier time by request. (For
guest with flights to catch on the same
day.)   0900 0915 - rendezvous and
pre-departure briefing at a dock in Mactan 0915
1000 - cruising by pump boat to Suba, Olango
Island - interpretation of Olango Islets along
the way 1000 1015 - paddling on outrigger
canoe baroto or banca to Suba beach 1015
1030 - welcome drinks fishing demonstration by
a local fishermen 1030 - 1045 - bird briefing by
a naturalist interpreter 1045 1115 -
paddleboat along Suba channel walk to the bird
watching area 1115 1200 - birdwatching 1200
1215 - paddleboat back to Suba beach 1215
1300 - lunch on Suba beach 1300 1345 -
shellcraft, interactive cassava siakoy cooking,
entertainment 1345 1400 - farewell
activities 1400 1415 - paddleboat back to
pumpboat 1415 1445 - boat cruise to the open
sea aquarium at Gilutungan Island 1445 1515 -
swimming or snorkeling at the Gilutungan Marine
Sanctuary 1515 1535 - head back by pumpboat to
Mactan Island  
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2. Visitor Arrivals
1999 357 2000 462 2001 (10 mos.) 256 (400
cancels)
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Countries of origin

• Japan
• U.S.
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• Switzerland
• U.K.
• Australia
• Denmark
• Myanmar
• Cambodia

• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Canada
• Germany
• Finland
• New Zealand
• Korea
• Malaysia
• Sweden
• Mongolia

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3. Benefits
Direct payments by OBST
to two protected areas
1999 P 9,800 2000 P12,308 2001 P13,148
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Economic benefits to community

• Employs trains 3 community members at
  P1,500/mo.
• Supplements the income of 69 coop members _at_ P150
  per tour
• Emergency fund for medical services
• Community development fund of P10,759 since 1999
  _at_ P10/visitor
• P87,555 in services purchased from members in the
  last 10 mos.

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Non-tangible benefits

• Pride of place pride of self.
• Enhanced sustainability of natural resources.
• Increased skills in organization, finance,
  management, operations, negotiating, etc.
• Community empowerment. Recognition by other
  stakeholders.
• Dissemination of learnings to other
  community-based tourism CRM initiatives.

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• Costing Pricing

TARIFF
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Sample Costing Sheet (part of bigger worksheet)
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5. Marketing Channels

• Distributor 1 CATO members, 20
• Distributor 2 Non-CATO members in Cebu, hotels
  resorts, PHILTOA members, internet reservations,
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• Distributor 3 Non-PHILTOA members, tour
  operators outside Cebu, 10
• Distributor 4 CATG, 5 production incentive
• Others 3 referral commission until March 2002

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6. Mechanisms processes that worked for
community participation

• 6.1 Participatory assessments on development
  needs, natural resource management issues
  goals, and enterprise / tourism potentials
  objectives.
• 6.2 Experiential learning-by-doing approach to
  facilitate understanding of ecotourism

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• 6.3 Cooperative mechanism for enterprise
  ownership with autonomous and professional
  business management mechanism
• 6.4 Democratic policy discussions and decision
  making on key issues
• 6.5 Supportive relations with key government
  private institutions for community empowerment
  and development

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6.6 Media promotion of community role and
contributions 6.7 Supportive interaction between
community and visitors from various sectors and
nationalities 6.8 Continuous flow of income and
other benefits to host community
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7. Mechanisms that worked for instituting
community benefits

• 7.1 Bigger volumes bigger values given to
  community services products in product
  development and product costing pricing.
• 7.2 Community tourism product development and
  costing/pricing PRIOR to marketing arrangements.
• 7.3 Community ownership of the tour.

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• 7.4 Full and professional linkage of community
  enterprise to mainstream marketing channels
• 7.5 Community determination of labor and other
  product cost components (with technical advise)
• 7.6 Placing an esteem value on unique
  experience/destination
• 7.7 Community development fund

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8. Mechanisms that worked for instituting
business viability

• 8.1 efficient and active community tour
  operation structure
• 8.2 provision of permanent tour service
  staff combined with a rotation scheme for other
  tour service personnel, both determined by the
  members of a community enterprise organization
  

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8.3 Tour service associations within cooperative
(paddlers, women, lifeguards, bird guides) 8.4
Business management staff linked to marketing
channels and technical assistance
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•   8.5 Functional cooperative board of directors
  and committees attending to other matters
  relevant to sustainability of the business
  tenurial security, cooperation with protected
  area management authorities, public relations
  with various groups, linkages with local
  government units, etc.
• 8.6 Maintenance of product quality and
  image(sensitivity to word-of-mouth feedback by
  visitors)

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9. Mechanisms that worked for instituting
marketing viability

• 9.1 community booking center and staff
• 9.2 linkage with CATO and other marketing
  channels
• 9.3 linkage with DOT and DENR

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9.4 linkage with environmental management and
development institutions (international and
local) 9.5 international awards won 9.6
continuing media coverage 9.7 attention to
delivery of quality service and assurance of
guest satisfaction at all times
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• 9.8 good product with unique proposition
• 9.9 good market positioning must-see product in
  Cebu, best ecotourism in the Philippines, best
  educational
• 9.10 community ownership a come-on by itself

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9.11 experiencing success stories in
conservation as an attraction 9.12 combining
great learning and enjoyment 9.13 product design
oriented to market positioning attainment of
environment community goals
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10. Key success factors

• 10.1 Good product design market positioning
• 10.2 Good community management approaches
  philosophy
• 10.3 Environmental management of resources
  established first and taken seriously

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10.4 Community development goals established and
pursued in the entire course of ecotourism
development 10. 5 Key policy measures to secure
natural resource use and management,
accreditation, permits, exclusive rights of
community enterprise / tourism activities   10.6
Multiple stakeholder involvement and support
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• 10.7 Development, implementation and advocacy of
  ecotourism framework that integrates
  market-oriented ecotourism product and enterprise
  development natural resource management and
  community development and empowerment
• 10.8 Amplification of project to wider audiences
  through awards won, media coverage, visits to the
  project by international organizations, leading
  opinion makers and satisfied customers

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11. Key issues problems

• 11.1 Security of access to prime tourism
  attractions and land tenure (PAMB community
  center)
• 11.2 Private interests positioning to capture
  tourism values away from the community (land
  claimants)
• 11.3 Not enough skilled community members with
  immediate leadership and managerial potential
  (slows down process of capacity building)

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12. Key challenges ahead

• 12.1 Sustaining the dedication of community
  leaders
• 12.2 Sustaining the commitment of NGAs and LGUs
  to secure the natural attractions from future
  infrastructure development and other activities
• 12.3 Sustaining and improving current marketing
  linkages product position

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13. Key potentials at work

• 13.1 History of successive victories
• 13.2 Increased broad range of institutional
  support
• 13.3 Amplified promotion of the project to
  international, national and local audiences

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13.4 Sustained dedication of the community
organization 13.5 Trend towards more national
local goverment support 13.6 Niche market for
community ecotourism capture
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Community women taking on the
challenge.