ABSTRACT
In the past many development agencies eschewed opportunities to develop the tourism sector in developing countries, based on the belief that this was a private sector, profi t-maximising activity which entrepreneurs could be expected to develop. Donors were concerned they would end up supporting big business, rather than enhancing livelihoods of the poor. Tourism is an industry associated with hedonism and luxury, not the types of activities development agencies saw as fi tting directly within their purview, that is, feeding the hungry, providing basic health and education services, and other such ‘worthy’ endeavours. A research exercise conducted at University of Plymouth in 2007 revealed that out of 24 bilateral and multilateral agencies reviewed, 10 had adopted specifi c tourism strategies or policies. The latter tend to see tourism as an important sector in terms of sustainable livelihood strategies for the poor, whereas other agencies seem concerned that a focus on tourism could detract from traditional development interventions in areas such as primary healthcare or education (Mowforth and Munt 2009: 310). This view that tourism is not a legitimate development sector is admonished by some commentators:
A failure of development cooperation agencies to become involved in tourism represents a failure to capitalize on the opportunities it presents (in job creation, economic development, cultural interchange and cultural heritage management) and a failure to help steer it toward a sustainable path. (Van der Duim and Caalders 2008: 110)
As we know from previous chapters, however, the advent of a new poverty agenda in the 1990s has seen a signifi cant shift in development agency priorities, such that poverty alleviation has become the rallying cry of the majority of the world’s development agencies. Some donors have subsequently re-thought their position and have identifi ed tourism as one of the few ‘engines of growth’ in less developed economies.
