Understanding the Local Tourism Sector and Identifying Opportunities for Diversifying Livelihoods

The pause on tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the industry in most locations around the world. While government support and domestic tourism has softened the blow in some locations, the revival of the tourism sector is imperative for the economic recovery of some communities. However, with this tourism pause, there is also opportunity to address the issue of reliance on reef tourism for people’s livelihoods and security, and to explore other potential income revenues at sites that simultaneously support conservation. By doing this, a more resilient tourism economy can be built post COVID-19 pandemic that is better prepared to deal with environmental, societal, political, health-related, technological, or economic crises in the future. “If the system is resilient, it is implicit that it has the ability not only to overcome crises and disasters but to better adapt to change overall” (Prayag 2018).

The 2021 Solution Exchange examined several case studies from around the world and opportunities for diversifying livelihoods at Resilient Reefs Initiative sites.

Key Takeaways

• Policy makers should consider opportunities to improve access to tourism jobs and businesses for First Nations communities, who bring an essential perspective but who face a range of barriers to entry such as the cost of insurance or assets.
• COVID-19 created enabling conditions for local entrepreneurs. It was an incredible natural experiment in unlocking local entrepreneurship in some regions, from a shift to regenerative agriculture in Bali to burgeoning micro-industries developing natural products in Belize.
• “Communities need a hand up not a hand-out”. Core components of community tourism include operations that are owned, led, and run by communities themselves. This empowers communities, bringing income to individuals and families (instead of large corporations), and increases capacity and develops new skills.
• Create opportunities that reduce or remove pressure on natural resources. Rather than just shifting from one kind of reef tourism to another kind of reef tourism—those livelihoods are both dependent on the same natural resource and therefore equally vulnerable to the same kinds of shocks—efforts should be made to develop new livelihood and income opportunities that are truly independent from reef assets and more sustainable.
• Focus on tourism activities that have minimal impact to the environment and high value to the user. It may not be possible to completely shift away from a dependence on reefs for livelihoods. One potential way to reduce pressure on the system is to analyze the impact and profitability of different reef tourism activities with a focus on low impact, high value options. Adding value to a tourist experience that takes pressure off the reef is another option.
• Public and private sector partnerships are critical. They can help assess, identify, and drive new opportunities for innovation in diversifying livelihood options.

Presentations

Watch the presentations by Solution Exchange experts in English or French to learn more:

Advancing Sustainable Tourism Strategies

The Solution Exchange was intended to inspire thinking, bring together the Resilient Reefs Initiative managers and partners for knowledge exchange and learning, and help catalyze action on the ground. While no specific next steps for diversification of livelihoods were outlined, a more encompassing approach to develop a sustainable tourism framework was discussed. Identified next step: 

Develop a sustainable tourism strategy framework for reef communities.

The Solution Exchange explored various components of sustainable tourism strategies—providing examples of a range of different tools and techniques. A potential next step is to integrate these components and develop a sustainable tourism strategy framework for reef communities, something that does not currently exist. Further consultation with sites and partners is required to better understand both the demand and target audience for this kind of framework.