Fair Trade, Cultural Heritage and Ecotourism
Key Theme • Innovative Initiatives to Increase Market Access and Promote Artisan Entrepreneurship through Ecotourism and Fair Trade
Crafts Center’s Mission The Crafts Center at CHF International contributes to economic development through field programs and coordination of an international network dedicated to supporting low-income artisans.
Crafts Center Principles • Preservation of cultural traditions • Fair trade practices for artisans • Member of: The Fair Trade Federation; Fair Trade Resource Network; The Child Labor Coalition; The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
Why Crafts and Tourism? • • • •
Supporting local business, family business Home based enterprises Economic opportunity for women Opportunities for income generation in rural areas where there are few jobs • Diversification or ‘add on’ to other job creation / income generation projects within the tourism sector
How this approach responds to market demand • • •
Tourists seek an authentic experience when traveling abroad Crafts offer a post experience for the traveler Souvenirs are the tangible part of an intangible experience
Opportunities & Challenges Opportunities: • Great potential and interest - unique, interesting items from around the world • Foreign tourists like products that tell a story, adds value and interest to product. Importance of hangtags • Well-made items are important • What are foreign tourists looking for – consumer trends, functional items
Opportunities & Challenges Challenges: • Lack of high-quality market driven crafts at key sites • Inability of sites to capture an “authentic experience” for the visitor • Artisans do not have support services that helps them compete with China
Addressing the Challenges • Teaching basic business skills • Firm upgrading through associations/cooperatives to – pay fees to display products more prominently, – increase economies of scale, – increase buying power for raw materials, – creating support system
Crafts Center Approach Linkages between artisans and tourism sector: • Responds to demand • Increases revenue opportunities • Broad base economic growth • Serve as facilitators to build capacity of stakeholders • Sustainable interventions that will advance industry after program ends • Linking informal activities with formal sector
CHF Case Study: Romania Enterprise Development and Strengthening (EDS) Program
CHF International, supported by USAID/Romania, is implementing a five-year program designed to: improve the legal and regulatory environment for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); increase their exports and competitiveness in the tourism and information technology and communications (ITC) sectors; and increase MSME’s access to finance.
Romania General mandate: Reposition the rural tourism industry to attract greater numbers of higher value tourists with value-added goods and services at market prices; encourage innovations by improving access to finance. Covered regions: Bucharest, Maramures, Sibiu, Bucovina. Main partners: Local Tourism Business Associations, National Authority for Tourism, SMEs working in tourism, accommodation units, travel agencies, tour guides/operators, and artisans.
Romanian Landscape
Strategies for Crafts Sector Upgrading • • • •
Target Key Sales Sites Product Development Hotels, museums, tour agents markets Certification program
Romania Accomplishments Market Research International Visitor Survey Tourist Asset Database Tour Operator & Travel Agency Database Product Development & Promotion Cultural Heritage Maps & Guides World Tourism Day & Specialty Festivals (Cheese & Brandy) Greetings from Romania (with Junior Achievement) Tourism Website Development & Improvement Destination Branding Monthly & Annual Calendars of Events New product development in Museums – Audio Guide Tours
Romania Accomplishments
Access to Credit 138 tourism firms received new credit from CHF; 149 firms received assistance to access credit; 24 firms assisted with completing credit applications Access to Finance Workshops
Traditional Crafts Road Map Goal: Increase visitors to Sibiu and its surrounding areas by capitalizing on the traditional crafts heritage of the region. Activity: Identified “tourism-ready� artisans and highlighting them on a map or booklet/brochure which also displays the local tourism infrastructure, such as hotels, restaurants, gas stations, etc.
Traditional Crafts Road
Traditional Crafts Road
The Painted Eggs Road
Handicrafts Authenticity Project Steward of the trademark and future administrator of the certification system is the National Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture (CNPPCT) Main Criteria for Handicraft Certification: made of traditional raw materials made with traditional techniques made with traditional tools respect traditional shapes, dimensions, and design respect traditional motifs and decoration respect traditional natural dyes
Capacity Building of Industry Stakeholders World Travel & Tourism Council ranked Romania as the 4th country in the world in terms of anticipated visitor export growth over 2006-2016.
National and Regional Tourism Strategy Development Association business planning Handicraft Authenticity Project Tourism Fair Preparation & Support Event Management Cultural Heritage and Site Management Best Practices Training
CHF Case Study: Montenegro The Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI) was created by CHF International to work on the development of tourism products in northern Montenegro, engaging the principles of responsible and sustainable tourism. By doing so, CSTI aims to economically regenerate the region, reduce poverty, and attract investments. CSTI is an active partner of the Ministry of Tourism, the National Tourism Organization, the USAID funded Regional Competitiveness Initiative, and a regular contributor to the Donor Coordination Group, which brings together international donors in the tourism sector to coordinate activities.
Montenegro Adventures http://www.montenegro-adventures.com
Montenegro Adventures The Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives is also a member of TIES – the largest and oldest ecotourism organization in the world dedicated to generating and disseminating information about ecotourism.
Q&A
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