USAID’S Tourism for All Project : Final report 2018-2023
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Date
2023-04-21
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Publisher
Chemonics International Inc.
Abstract
Over five years, USAID’s Tourism For All Project (TFA) has made an impact across Timor-Leste’s burgeoning tourism sector. The project’s many noteworthy outcomes
include the following:
• UNESCO’s inscription of tais — the country’s hallmark handicraft — in December 2021
• The foundation of the Dili Waterfront Development public-private partnership
(PPP), valued at $120 million, and a PPP screening methodology
• The development of stakeholders’ business skills and establishment of four tourism-
related associations unifying stakeholders across the tourism value chain:
o Asosiasaun Turizmu Koleku Mahanak Ataúro (ATKOMA)
o Asosiasaun Turizmu Ramelau, Blehitu, and Kablake (ASTRABEKA)
o Asosiasaun Turizmu Maritima Iha Timor-Leste (ATM-TL)
o Asosiasaun Turizmu Relijiouzu Timor-Leste (ATR-TL)
• The rollout and maintenance of the Tourism Enterprise Development Program
(TEDP), with 67 grants awarded at a value of $1,700,967.14 (USAID grants plus
grantee contributions of $477,282.81, or 22%; see Exhibit 1, page 3)
• The launch of a domestic tourism campaign (Ha’u-Nia Timor-Leste)
• Coordination across the government through the Inter-Ministerial Commission for
Tourism Development, resulting in key framework documents and arrangements
• Production of three sustainable management plans (SMPs) for protected areas in the
project’s geographic focus area — a significant step in responding to climate change
• Delivery of a report and training module on climate change and tourism to key
stakeholders, including youth
The report and training module on climate change and tourism informed several activities involving public and private sector stakeholders. For example, the project coordinated with scuba diving centers to raise youth awareness of the need to protect coral reefs. A project grant enabled 40 scientists from the National University of Timor-Leste to study the country’s coral reefs and marine biodiversity in the context of tourism. The project also started the Green School Initiative in partnership with the Secretary of State for Environment and the Dili Canossian School to encourage its 5,000 students, their parents, and staff to reduce their carbon footprint and plastic waste.
Description
USAID’s Tourism For All Project represented an investment in Timor-Leste’s tourism sector to promote the country’s competitiveness as an international tourism destination while preserving its environmental and cultural heritage by improving tourism offerings. To do so, the project used an inclusive and sustainable approach. As part of this approach, Tourism For All responded to the fundamental challenge for Timor-Leste: to rapidly diversify its economy and strategically invest its oil and gas wealth in developing human capacity to build social and economic prosperity, harnessing sectors like agriculture and tourism.
Keywords
United States Agency for International Development, Tourism For All Project (TFA), United States, International tourism, Domestic tourism, Climate change, Timor-Leste