| TED Case Studies |
The Africa Dream Project Open Africa |
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I. Identification
1. The Issue
The question this case study presents answers: How have governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) used Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve development of Small to Medium Sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs)? SMTEs have been targeted in a number of countries as a sector to be focused on for overall economic development of traditionally impoverished and undeveloped lands and peoples. Tourism has been one sector deemed most appropriate for rural developing nations.
In the rural regions of Southern Africa a movement has started that integrates ICT and development in the rural areas for conservation, preservation and overall development. The organization driving the movement is Open Africa.
2. Description
The Australian Federal Government has realized the impact that the Internet has on promotion of the tourism product and they also understand the need to have a consistent tourism product. Tourism is a highly fragmented industry that is made up of numerous SMTE (95-98% of all tourism companies fall into this category) and the success of the industry is based on the sum of the parts. The Department of Industry, Science, and Resources created the policy of Australia dotcom to aid each and every SMTE to utilize the Internet.
Like the Australians the South African
Federal Government has implemented policy for the promotion of SMTEs. In
the case of
Based on the concept of Afrikatourism, the Open Africa project is linking the splendors of Africa in a continuous network of tourism routes from the Cape to Cairo. The achievement of this vision for Africa has been enabled by the integration of leading edge GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology with the Internet. The result is a website and the route maps that you can access on it. This means that viewers can interrogate maps down to the finest details of what they want to see and experience, while suppliers of facilities and providers of services can market their wares in the most cost efficient and effective manner possible.
The main idea of Open Africa is to exploit a key feature of the Internet: the ability to strengthen the marketing and communication functions to remote, peripheral and insular destinations, as well as SMTEs. The Africa Dream Project enables the direct communication of tourism product producers with distantly located domestic and international consumers. Each route is constructed as a formal tourism cluster that fosters the idea of “coopetition” within the distinct routes.
The routes do not have to be complicated or elaborate treks, they could simply consist of communities that have common tourist assets. The idea of creating a “route” is to place the community on a map and create a sense of place. It is easier for someone who has never seen a computer let alone the Internet to understand where they fit in geographically into the website through the GIS technology, as opposed to a set of textual links. By providing the rural users access to the Internet without the traditional steps of acquiring hardware, linking to the Internet, building a website, hosting the site and managing the site the Open Africa process will initially give the new users the benefits of the Internet without the headaches and costs. In turn these new users will become more comfortable with technology and more readably accept it as a useful tool.
The following model is a representation of how route based tourism initiatives are implemented into the rural areas and the how the “Tourism Cluster” by-product is created.
3. Related Cases
At this time there are no related cases that are in the database to link to. There are a couple of areas that are similar and would greatly benefit from this concept. One area in particular is the Mundo Maya region in Central America. The area stretches from Quintana Roo in Mexico into the bordering states of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The routes are defined from traditional Mayan trade routes and an association has been set up to promote this area. The area is currently being surveyed for GIS mapping and this would be the ideal time to implement the Open Africa Concept.
In the TED database:
4. Author and Date
April 2004
Zachary Rozga
Masters of Tourism Administration
Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
George Washington University
600 21st St., NW
Washington, DC 20007
USA
zroz@gwu.edu
II. Policy Impacts
5. Social
The idea behind the policy of community-based tourism promotion is to protect the cultural heritage and value of the local population that some culture focused routes take place in. An example of a route that strives to protect the cultural value is the Sonke Cape Route.
6. Environmental
The rural areas in which these routes are being constructed are rural, pristine areas that are in need of conservation. Tourism is being used to as the tool to provide capital for preservation of the areas. The sample route, The Blue Crane Route, was constructed to protect the habitat in which the greatly endangered Blue Crane lives.
7. Economic
The hope is that these routes will provide economic stimulus to the developing areas. The goal is to provide jobs, income, and basic infrastructure to impoverished regions through tourism.
8. Other
One other impact is a positive one as well. The hope is through showing the rural populations the benefits of ICT they will gain in interest in the various technologies. This will ease the eventual facilitation of training and hardware into the rural areas.
9. Suggested Interventions
Where Government Policy is lacking outside organizations need to be entertained. In this case Open Africa filled the ICT gap that the governments had not been able to address for the SMTEs.
III. Legal Clusters
10. Discourse and Status/Policy Issue
Agreement and In Progress
To date 47 routes have been opened.
The aim of the project is to link routes from the tip of the Cape in
When a national government is setting a strategy for rural tourism development they should consider the model set forth by Open Africa, which utilizes ICT and GIS technologies for creating tourism clusters in rural areas. The process allows unsophisticated users to benefit from the advantages of having a web presence, while at the same time bringing local tourism entrepreneurs together to build a single tourism product, namely their local route. .
11. Forum and Scope/Existing Policy Framework
NGO and Regional
o International - The intended audience for the website is international in scope. At this point the main targeted audiences are the European Union and Australia.
o National - The national level is important because much of the funding for the routes is coming from National governments, large corporations and NGOs.
o Regional - The regional level at this point is extremely important aspect because one of the goals of the website is to create a cyber market that will provide market information to the regional communities such as rates and market capacity. Also, there are routes that are transnational, so the promotion for some routes is focused on Southern or Eastern African not solely by nation.
o Local - The construction of the routes is centered in the local communities and the ownership of the route is community based. New routes are constructed and promoted by local petitions. The locals must ask to be a part and then find means to raise the capital needed for construction.
12. Decision Breadth/Stakeholders/Policy Actors
The most innovative aspect of Open Africa and the Africa Dream Project is the design is intended to give the decision and the ownership of the actual routes to the local tribes and communities. When the project was in its initial phase the NGO designated routes that would be put up on the web. As the site matured and a number of routes were added to the site the method changed so that the local people in the areas would petition to have a route in their area. The locals have to propose how the route will function, where accommodations will be, what new infrastructure will be needed, how the infrastructure will be built, possible means of funding the projects, etc. Basically allowing for the population where the route will be located to construct and maintain their own tourism product. The Open Africa people offer consulting to the communities to help them to find funding and make recommendations upon their proposals.
In order to understand
how the routes are managed one route will be examined. The Blue Crane
Route consists of four separate local routes: The Caledon Blue Crane Route,
The Porterville Blue Crane Route, The Southernmost Blue Crane Route, and The
Heidelberg Blue Crane Route. The design of the route is to preserve the lands
that the Blue Crane,
The arrival of the birds has galvanized the farms together into a unique alliance aimed at the preservation of the Blue Crane. To support these efforts individual organizations in each of the four routes band together to create the route. In The Porterville Blue Crane Route there are 14 local sponsors. They cut across all tourism sectors to include: accommodations, activities, and civil society groups to provide a complete tourism product. The overall Blue Crane Route is sponsored in part by Engen Petroleum, Africa’s largest oil company. All of the sponsors work together to facilitate the route, but do not make contributions to the support of the website. This is important because they can strictly focus on tourism and conservation activities.
13. Legal Standing/Legal Regulatory Framework/Suggested Policy Intervention
NGO policy with national assistance
The Africa Dream Project and Open Africa leave themselves open to undergo much risk. By promoting these routes and communities they are informally taking responsibility for the traveler. If an injury or theft occurs on one of the route based trips the organization could be at risk from lawsuit.
The intervention of policy might be difficult in the Africa Dream Project, because the routes are international in nature. Each individual country will need to have a regulatory framework in place to insure that the tourists are safe. This type of policy must be in place if the country is to be successful in the international tourist market, with or without the Africa Dream Project.
IV. Trade Clusters
14. Type of Measure
An increase in Tourists and Receipts as well as an increase in the total number of jobs generated by the project should be used to measure the success. Each route is an individual tourism trade cluster. The separate SMTEs that support the route compliment each other. For example, in the Porterville route there are five accommodations, a golf course, two eateries, two activity operators, and the local tourism bureau that all work together to promote and operate the route.
15. Relation of Trade Measure to Environmental/Tourism Impact
a. Directly Related to Product: Yes, Tourism
The revenue generated from the tourists traveling the routes will go directly back into the product, which is the community and their lands.
b. Indirectly Related to Product: Yes, Related downstream activities
The second tier of tourism revenue, which is the service sector that supports the tourist facilities. For example the additional food for the tourist and the construction crews to build the new eco-lodges.
c. Not Related to Product: No
Overall increase of the economic level. This is the area that is targeted by aid organizations when they are implementing tourism as a strategy for poverty alleviation. The hope is that the extra infrastructure that is created for the tourists will benefit the local populations. As well the multiplier effect of the fresh foreign cash will reach the level that basic services (healthcare, education) are improved.
d. Related to Process: Yes, Many
The revenue should be reinvested back into the services and tourist infrastructure to maintain a good product and enhance the attractiveness of the route. Open Africa has an investment in making sure this happens so that they have high standard across all routes they promote.
16. Trade Product Identification/Trade and Services
Tourism
The main type of product that is being sold is services: overnight stays in lodges, wildlife guiding, restaurant servers, transportation, etc. However there are some products such as traditional crafts and trinkets that can be sold to the tourists.
17. Economic Data
The Africa Dream Project (2003)
was in 44 towns, in 6 nations
created 630 establishments
employed 4,031 full time jobs
employed 1,933 part time jobs
The value of the exposure to communities on
the website (in which they are not charged) is R3.7 million or R495 per participant
per month
18. Impact of Trade Restriction
Low
The trade restriction that would impact the Open Africa project are Visa issues and International Travel Bans to areas. If people are not able to travel to the routes, then the product can not be sold as an export.
19. Industry Sector
Services
Primary: International Travel and Tourism
Secondary: Information and Communication Technology, Conservation and Preservation
20. Exporters and Importers
Many and Africa
The tourists are the export, because they provide foreign currency to the economy. The hope is that there are no imports and all of the goods and services are produced locally maximizing the economic impact of the tourist.
V. Macro/Environment
Clusters/Tourism Policy Clusters
21. Environmental Problem Type/ Environmental Aspects
Habitat Loss
The hope is conservation of natural resources and traditional culture in rural Africa through sustainable tourism projects. Ecotourism has been the norm for near 10 years now. 132 million people took “ecotrips” in 2000. Preservation of our world’s precious resources has become a priority and tourism has shown that it can provide a sustainable means to achieve that goal.
22. Resource Impact and Effect
Low and Scale
The idea is to positively impact the resources through conservation strategies. Tourist revenue per acre is ten times greater than what can be generated through agribusiness. The traditional populations living on the endangered areas need to be instructed on how to use their lands to this cause to increase their own wealth and conserve their resources. By providing the local population ownership of the product (route) they have increased the buy-in of the population, which has been shown in numerous cases as the most important aspect of success.
The Selous game reserve in Tanzania is a classic example how the local population will revolt if they are not considered when building a conservation initiative and tourism product. The local population was not given any rights to the park when it was set aside as a preserve. The local population depended on the game in the reserve for basic nutritional needs, because the land is unsuitable for raising livestock. What began as poaching for sustaining their life turned to profit in the 1980s as the market for illicit poached goods rapidly increased. The local inhabitants had the knowledge and expertise to carry out the rampant poaching that took place. Without any benefit of the park being extended to them they gratefully accepted the payment for the poached goods.
It was not until the Tanzanian Government (with help from the GTZ) created a revenue sharing system and included the locals in the process of tourism and revenue sharing that they killing stopped. The locals now understand that they must protect the park to continue receiving tourists and income.
In the case of the Blue Crane Routes the individual farms that are host to the Blue Cranes have been given the access to larger capacity building through the network of the similar clusters. Also, the by bringing in local private sector agents, like lodges and tour operators, the farms have access to more consumers than in other regions they might be competing against.
23. Urgency and Lifetime/Urgency and Policy Review
Low and 10-20 years
The Open Africa concept and project has yet to launch a worldwide advertising and marketing campaign. They are allowing the routes to mature before they try to gain mass appeal. Once this concept has been fully initiated there should be a yearly review to the effectiveness of the routes and the website itself.
In the case of the Mundo Maya, the urgency is much more severe. The project is at a perfect point to take advantage of this concept. There should be an intervention of NGOs and Intergovernmental Organizations to move an initiative of this sort forward.
24. Substitutes/Alternative Policies
Eco-tourism
As far as using tourism as the catalyst for development, the alternatives have been looked into or attempted and tourism has been deemed the most appropriate for the situation. The alternative to this concept is to depend on the rural areas banding together on their own to create a cluster for networking and promotion of their product. This is the current practice in much of the world. The many problems that emanate from this practice have been touched on before related to the costs and process of building a website. Another issue is that the traditional mindset of these communities is that their competition is the man running the lodge next door, not half way around the world.
VI. Conclusion
25. Policy Implications
For nations that are attempting to use tourism as a means of economic stimulus for their country they must consider the means at which the intended audience will receive this information. The Internet is a powerful tool and must be looked at as a means to broadcast the message about product. Instituting computers, email, software and the Internet to populations of people who do not even have clean running water is a daunting task, yet it is necessary. The governments of countries need to look for innovative means to implement ICT into the rural areas that they are promoting for tourism.
In order to understand the importance of these policy implications one must consider the sustainability of these projects. At this point the largest barrier to sustainability is market access. The following model is a visual representation of information flow in rural destinations. In areas where most of the inhabitants have never used a telephone the likelihood of Internet implementation is quite low.
The model on the left shows the relationship in an environment without an ICT intermediary. The product and market have a major disconnect and information flow is stopped. On the other hand on right the product is accessible to the market through the intermediary as well the market can provide tastes and demands to the product. As the cycle continues the product should enhance the product to adhere to the demand of the market, thus providing a better product more sustainable product.
26. Recommendations
The Open Africa concept is ingenious and could be replicated throughout the world. One area that bears in mind is the Mundo Maya region. There is already a route system in design, but as yet there has not been consensus on how to build or promote it. The area is remote and filled with native and indigenous communities. As stated before local buy-in to a project is essential for the project to be successful. The Africa Dream Project could just as easily become the Ruta Maya.
Any region that has cultural and natural resources they are trying to protect should institute a policy of promotion of community-based tourism. The idea of a route system works great because it lends itself to Internet and GIS applications for promotion. The promotion tool actually becomes the motivation for the community to build their tourism product.
VII.
Other Factors
27. Culture
No
The concept is to allow the indigenous populations to maintain their culture, actually to celebrate it and use it as one of the mechanisms to attract tourists.
28. Trans-Boundary Issues
No
There are a number of routes that cross borders. The master concept is to have routes that span the continent. There are many issues that come into play when designing these routes, such as passports, visas, and exit fees. These issues will need to be addressed if the trans-boundary routes will be successful.
29. Rights
Yes
The routes that are originally designed by the communities need to stay under the ownership of the community. Alienation will take place if their power is taken away. The legal rights may not exist, but the rights need to be maintained in order for the project to be successful.
30. Relevant Literature
Department of Industry, Science, and Resources (2000). tourism dotcom: A National Online Tourism Strategy.
http://www.industry.gov.au/assets/documents/Itrinternet/tourismdotcom20030908122903.pdf?CFID=14
3283&CFTOKEN=15599295 [accessed February 16, 2004]
DEAT (1996). White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa.
http://www.gov.za/whitepaper/1996/tourism.htm [accessed February 29, 2004].
Elmundomaya.com (2004). Website. http://www.elmundomaya.com [accessed April 14, 2004].
Ndunguru, Ireneus and Rudi Hahn (1998). Reconciling Human Interests with Conservation in the Selous Game
Reserve International CNBMR Workship, World Bank, Washington DC. http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/conatrem/case.htm [accessed March 15, 2004].
Open Africa (2004). Website. http://www.openafrica.org [accessed March 15, 2004].
Visser, Gustav (2003). The World Wide Web and South Africa: The Case of Open Africa. Africa Insight
V33: #1 / 2 pp 151-157.
1/2001