CAPITAL FOR INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

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CAPITAL FOR INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

• BY JOSEPH M. RUHIU,
• PROGRAMME MANAGER COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
• 22ND OCTOBER 2007

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COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM (CBT) EVOLUTION

• INITIATED IN EARLY 1970S TO RAISE LIVING
  STANDARDS FOR RURAL POOR
• STRATEGY FOR ENHANCED BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
  THROUGH RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND INCOME GENERATION
  FOR RURAL POOR
• PRODUCT OF COMMUNITY BASED NATURAL RESOUIRCES
  MANAGEMENT (CBNRM)
• BEST EXAMPLES OF CBRNM, ARE CAMPFIRE IN ZIMBABWE
  AND KENYAN EXAMPLES ARE, KIMANA, IL NWESI,
  MWALUGANJE, SHOMPOLE, KOIJA,ESELENKI AND OL
  GABOLI
• INITIALLY WERE TO ADDRESS REVENUE SHARING, LATER
  COMMERCIAL
• GAZETTED AREAS FAILURE TO ADDRESS LOSS OF
  BIODIVERSITY AND ADDRESS GROWING POVERTY FOR
  RURAL POOR LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO WILDLIFE
• FASTEST GROWING COMPONENT OF TOURISM SECTOR, WITH
  POTENTIAL TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN RURAL AREAS
  AND GREATLY CONTRIBUTE TO VISION 2030
• COMMUNITY ADAPTING BUSINESS CULTURE WITH PRIVATE
  COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS BEING FORGED
• GROWTH NEEDS PLANNING, RESOURCES ALLOCATION,
  IMPROVED MANAGEMENT STYLES, MARKETING, GUIDELINES
  DEVELOPMENT, ASSESSMENT TO LOCAL ECONOMY, TOWARDS
  BIODIVERSITY AND BUILD M E

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FUNDING COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

• GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO TOURISM LIMITED KTB
  RECEIVES KSHS. 500M OPPOSED TO PLANNED KSHS. 1
  BILLION DISPITE TOURISM VALUE
• GOVERNMENT PROVIDES ENABLING ENVIRONMENT POLICY
  FORMULATION, PROGRAMMES COORDINATION, SECURITY
  COORDINATION, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT,
  MARKETING PLANNING
• CBT ALMOST 100 DONOR DEPNDENT TOURISM
  DEVELOPMENT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS
  OWES IT TO INTERNATIONAL FUNDING
• MAIN DONORS WORLD BANK, EU, USAID, UNDP
  KIMANA ESTABLISHED THROUGH COBRA A CONSORTIUM OF
  USAID, WORLD BANK AMONG OTHERS
• EU COMMITTED EURO 25 MILLION OVER LAST TEN YEARS
  TOWARDS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN 2000
  2006, KSH.. 200MILLION FROM EU TO CDTF
  ESTABLSIHED 16 COMMUNITY BASED CONSERVATION
  AREAS, IN 2006 A FURTHER KSHS. 430MILLION FROM EU
  TO CDTF TOWARDS COMMUNITY BASED INIITIATIVES
• IN 2002 EU GAVE TTF KSHS. 1 BILLION TOWARDS
  TOURISM DEVELOPMENT WITH MAJOR MILESTONE BEING
  MARKETING KENYA THOUGH KTB AND CREATION OF
  REGIONAL NETWORKS
• USAID HAS COMMITTED SOME 715,809 TO SUPPORT
  COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM THROUGH CORE OF WHICH
  434,194 WAS DISBURSED IN 2005. USAID THROUGH
  LEWA
• PROVIDED 400,000 TO SET UP SERA CONSERVANCY
• KEY COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREAS ESTABLSIHED
  THROUGH eu AND USAID INCLUDE SHOMPOLE, KOIYAKI,
  GUIDING SCHOOL, LUMO, KALAMA, KIJABE,KOIJA, SERA,
  KASIGAU AMONG OTHERS
• DONOR FUNDS FORM THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTION FOR CBT
  AS GOVERNMENT FINANCES ARE INADEQUATE EVEN WHEN
  FACTORED IN GOVERNMENT BUDGETS

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IS DONOR FUNDING WORKING?

• SINCE RECOGNITON AND ACCPETANCE IN THE 1970S CBT
  GROWN IN NUMBERS, PRODUCT IMPROVED IN TIME
• FASTEST GROWING SECTORS WITH POTENTIAL OF SPURING
  RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTRIBUTE TO VISION 2030
• 100 ESTABLISHMENTS IN EXISTENCE TODAY COMPARED TO
  0NE OR TWO IN EARLY 1970S
• GROWN INTO COMPETTIVE BUSINESS VENTURES WITH
  PRIVATE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS BUILD
• CASE 1 OLGABOLI WOMEN BANDAS
• PRE BCP
• Serious environmental degradation High poverty
  and illiteracy levelNon-economic activitiesMale
  dominanceUnexploited natural resource
  Exploitation by tour operators Low leadership
  skills and Low bargaining power
• WITH BCP
• First Maasai women biodiversity conservation
  project where rural illiterate women have
  negotiated for land access rights and are engaged
  in eco-tourism development aimed at introducing a
  new and more productive benefit avenue.
  Objective reverse situation pre BCP Sustainably
  utilize biodiversity for economic gains
  Diversify sources and types of incomeReverse
  male dominance in enterprises Reverse male
  dominance in enterprises Empower women in
  matters of conservation Reverse the
  deteriorating range condition Reduce poverty
  through tourism Provide an alternative source of
  income Fall back position, Provide conducive
  environment for skills building Literacy
• POSITIVE IMPACTS
• Positive impacts-
•           Income increased from Kshs. 400,000
  between 2005 and Kshs. 2million in 2007 BCP
  support attracted financial support for a sixth
  banda from USAID Illiteracy level brought down
  through literacy classes 10 people employed in
  the in the enterprise, mostly young men and
  girls Cattle rustling reduced through radio
  network and vehicle (secondary impacts) Land
  rehabilitated Partnerships build
  community-private sector Rift Valley Adventures,
  Princeton University Project attracted funding
  from USAID and 6th larger banda build Piped
  water availed to local people Value addition to
  local artefacts through training in beadwork
  Community sensitised on HIV and AIDS Donations
  provided
•  Negative impacts-
•           Loss of grazing area to tourism  
  Risk of attack by wild animals Conflict between
  men and women A case of economic empowerment on
  women Leadership problems coups and
  countercoups Vested interest and interference by
  men negative publicity Interference with
  social values Women abandoning core family
  activities to pursue training