The Challenges & Opportunities for Tourism Development in the Congo BasinDr. John D. Hunt,
Principal partner of Hunt and Hunt
Remarks at Ecotourism Symposium
Rosslyn, Virginia
February 21, 2003Perceptions of the Congo Basin
- Lack of familiarity
- Knowledge is limited
- Impressions shaped by Hollywood
- News media reporting civil strife, poverty & disease
- National Geographic Magazine stories of a remote, culturally unique & environmentally diverse region
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- A general, casual curiosity about our world, its people & geography
- Most people have a similar knowledge and image
My Travel Preferences vs. the Norm
- Limited curiosity & interest in extreme adventure travel
- More open to adventure
- Simple accommodations
- Exploration of the unknown & risk
- This is not the norm
Perceptions + Preferences = ?
- Knowledge level/perceptions about the Congo
- Willingness to travel in places with risk
- Characteristics/preferences of most travel markets
- Suggest the Congo Basin may not presently be a hospitable place for tourism development
Current News & U.S. Government Sources
- Air pollution from vehicle emissions
- Water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage
- Tap water is not potable
- Deforestation & desertification
- Excess mortality due to AIDS
- Ethnic strife and civil war
- Poaching threatens wildlife populations & has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges
- Unfavorable climate for business enterprise
- Corruption and mismanagement
- Poor transportation system
- Largely unskilled work force
- A legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies
- Suspected Ebola outbreak
- Warns U.S. citizens against travel to …
The Future?
- Better minds & resources have not solved the overwhelming challenges of the area.
- No quick fixes or cures to make the region more hospitable for tourism
- Long term strategies & policies offer hope & opportunity
Six Strategies for Hope & Opportunity
- Understand & develop tourism as a system
- Economically important export
- Differs from commodity resources & manufactured goods
- Must provide attractions accompanied by products & services vital to access these experiences
- Tourism is a system of inter-related functional components
- A missing or deficient component will cripple the system
Recognize that the benefits & costs of tourism are relatively high
- $1 spent in Congo = relatively more benefit
- $1 spent in diversified & strong economy = less impact
- Fewer people can be accommodated in rural & fragile eco-systems
- Developed environments have higher carrying capacities
- Invest in infrastructure, human resource development, management…
- Establish & enforce limits & carrying capacities
Think broader than “ecotourism”
- Many pros, cons & definitions of ecotourism
- Additional opportunities by embracing other markets, resources & attractions
- Think “sustainable” tourism
- Vigilant about benefit-cost ratios
Adopt & implement policies and goals for sustainable tourism development
- Provide for highest level of visitor satisfaction
- Provide rewards to owners/community
-- Local citizens/community to benefit
-- Private business to profit
-- Public/Gov’t programs socially/politically worthwhile
- Protect/preserve natural & cultural resources
- Incorporate values, needs & efforts of host community
Invest in research & information for planning & development
- Practical & applicable, focus on community health & sustainability
- Market segments, images, needs…
- Human resource education & opportunities
- Site & resource suitability for tourism development
- Development, management & marketing strategies
Move focus from problems/challenges to strengths/opportunities
- Identify what works well in the Congo Basin & elsewhere in human & environmental development
- Identify the strengths
- Explore best cases
- Tailor the best strategies, strengths & cases to sustainable tourism development in the Congo Basin
The hope & opportunity for meeting the challenges of sustainable tourism in the Congo Basin lie first & foremost in the adoption & implementation of broad, long-term policies & strategies that serve as the foundation for future development.
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