(DTIS) Update, Volume 1 – Main report - Enhanced Integrated ...

direct tourist spending in 2011 (WTTC 2011b). Backward linkages (i.e. the local sourcing ofintermediate goods and services for tourism) are however likely to be weaker in countries which, likeBurundi, have limited local supply capacity and new tourism sectors, as operators tend, at least initially,to import a larger share of their inputs (UNCTAD 2008). Conversely, this supply chain implies that adiversity of sectors must be functional for tourism to develop, and that bottlenecks in important sectors,such as construction or financial services, can hamper tourism growth. In terms of policy, the multisectoralityof tourism requires effective coordination between public authorities in several domains(infrastructure, finance, environment, education, etc.), as well as adequate communication with theprivate sector, which can all prove challenging in developing countries with limited institutionalcapacities. Finally, countries which are, like Burundi, attempting to initiate tourism are likely to face acritical mass issue (box 7.1).Box 7.1: Tourism and critical massTourism needs to reach a scale of operation where the economies of scale, or “critical mass,” kick in, nomatter how advantageous the basic assets for tourism are. At this point, airlines establish routes, touroperators promote the destination and investors invest in hotels, resorts and ecotourism. This is oftenviewed as a chicken and egg situation; indeed, it is not clear what exactly triggers a change. A certainvolume of hotel rooms and visitors are required in order to justify large investments in infrastructure,such as airports, roads, ports, power, local transport companies, waste management, landfills, etc.Tourism operators can absorb a certain amount of infrastructure in their own projects, as long as it doesnot weigh too heavily on investment costs. Concentrated and well-planned integrated resort developmentcan often be more successful than generalized development strategies for the country as a whole. In thisregard, one interesting option can be ecotourism projects, which tend to be more self-contained and torequire fewer public services. Nonetheless, success in this type of project also requires reaching aminimum scale and addressing key constraints, such as access to and within the country.Source: World Bank (2012c)Tourism, however, has limits and an unmanaged growth of the sector can entail risks. These riskscan be of various natures, including unsustainable uses of natural, cultural and social assets; socials risks(increased crime, income inequality, mistreatment of women and children, tensions with localcommunities); or economic risks (increased reliance on imported goods and services, increased prices ofland or food). This reinforces the need for careful planning and supervision by the authorities and otheractors involved, such as professional associations or civil society organizations.3. Presentation of the Burundian tourism sector3.1 The limited economic weight of tourismCompared to other East African countries, such as Tanzania and Kenya, Burundi’s tourism sectoris still largely underdeveloped (table 7.2). This is partly due to the fact that years of conflict preventedthe country from becoming a regular travel destination for tourists. According to the WTTC, the directcontribution of both travel and tourism to GDP is expected to be 2.1 % in 2011 111 , which ranks Burundi134 th out of 181 countries for relative contribution of travel and tourism to the economy (WTTC 2011a).This estimated figure overwhelmingly corresponds to business spending, as opposed to leisure spending,111 In the WTTC’s methodology, this includes GDP generated by industries that deal directly with tourists,including hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transport services, as well as the activities of restaurantand leisure industries that deal directly with tourists.134 / 153