Community Engagement in Tourism: Opportunities in Bagan - Shihab Uddin Ahamad, Country Director, ActionAid Myanmar

Community engagement in Tourism:

Opportunities in Bagan

Presented by

Shihab Uddin Ahamad

Country Director

ActionAid Myanmar

About ActionAid Myanmar

• It is part of AAI federation

•Working in Myanmar since 2000

•Major focus on women and youth

•Development philosophy based on Human Rights Based Approach

Fellowship for youth in community Development is the central of all our work

Community led Planning through village book approach is foundation of all program decisions

Why ActionAid is involve in Tourism?

•Because community identified through VB that it is an opportunity for them

•AAM is working around 200 villages around Bagan

•300,000 tourist visited Bagan in 2014

• This is a significant number for any communities to be encouraged to engage with CBT

Encouraging trends globally..

• Women represent between 60 and 70 percent of the HCT labor force.

• Half of the workforce is composed of youth under 25 years of age.

• tourism exports, measured by international tourism receipts, reached a record of $1,030 billion in 2011, When the value of international passenger transport is added, the overall income generated by inbound travel and tourism in 2011 exceeds $1.2 trillion.

What are the opportunities for Communities?

Selling food:

300000 tourist x $30 spent for food = $9m per year

1/9th goes to local food producers, makes income $1m

Selling souvenir/ handicrafts

$20 per tourist spending makes income for $6m

Opportunities for Hotels?

1 night extra night stay in Bagan because of additional activities such as a day trip to a local community can increase additional income for Hotels up to $120m (300000touristx 1night x rate $40 avg.)

ActionAid support in CBT

• Some places Agriculture income alone is not enough to ensure basic needs of the people but also we can not afford to let the agriculture work disappear, complementary or subsidiary income opportunities need to explore.

• Need to build “linkages” with sectors in agriculture, fishing, food processing, handicrafts and other services. Such linkages provides sustainable market opportunities for local suppliers and strengthen local production while offering tourists an authentic cultural exposure

Challenges and opportunities

• Achieving human rights depends on power of people

• It is very important to empower community before start CBT to ensure community are capable enough to protect themselves from any potential harm

• Sustainability of CBT depends on empowering community led process

• Identify what good culture can be promoted such as, not “smoke” in public, not drink alcohol in front of Children, Planting trees, care about environment, respecting women, respecting local culture such as joining meditation in the morning etc.

• Educational opportunities for visitors

Thank you

[email protected]

www.actionaid.org

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