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

cultural and social sustainability of tourism assets; and enable local communities to benefitconcretely from tourism activities 140 .ii) Start at a low scale. In the short run, expectations should be realistic and a piecemeal approachcould be envisaged. The experience shows that, for countries at the start of their tourism journey,focusing scarce resources on the locations and market segments with highest growth potential isan effective strategy (World Bank 2011a). Such an approach is for example followed by Guinea-Bissau with the Bijagós Archipelago (World Bank 2012c). Similarly in Burundi, the focus shouldbe put on concrete actions to launch pilot projects (presumably those identified in the SNDDT),rather than on broad development strategies at the national level. This process can reduce acritical mass of constraints, such as infrastructure, security, skills, and enables the early arrival ofworld-class investors. These first movers can then play a major role in “launching” thedestination. Such a focused approach can also help pilot policy reforms (e.g. land and airtransportation) and have the demonstration effect necessary to gather broader support for tourism.iii) Leverage the regional dimension. Last but not least, Burundi has the chance to be part of theEAC, one of the most advanced and dynamic regional integration projects in sub-Saharan Africa.Partner countries in the Community have already well-developed tourism industries. Similar toother sectors, it is therefore crucial for Burundi to integrate into regional tourism markets and tofully participate in the EAC cooperation agenda. In particular, Burundi can harness the publicgoods produced in the framework of EAC integration to remove or ease some of the most bindingconstraints to tourism development. While many regional initiatives have had mixed results orremain projects at this stage, Burundi will benefit from further progress on regional programs intourism (e.g. development of regional circuits, marketing and branding, training programs) and inother related domains, such as infrastructure and civil aviation, integration of financial markets,or peace and security. In the short run, Burundi should push for the effective adoption as soon aspossible of the planned regional tourist visa, and initiate joint tourism projects and circuits.The Burundian authorities have, in conjunction with regional partners and the private sector, aleading role to play in planning the emergence and sustainability of tourism. Donors can supportthis dynamic by providing different types of assistance 141 . In the case of Burundi, it appears that theGovernment’s project to initiate tourism could benefit from advisory services for policy, institutional andregulatory reforms, as well as from financial/technical support for anchor tourism projects. As anexample, the IFC has recently initiated a technical assistance program on tourism in Burundi, which aimsat identifying with all the stakeholders a limited number of high potential sites/circuits that couldconstitute pilot projects. Given the country’s limited resources and capacities, another important avenuefor cooperation is the provision of technical assistance to ensure Burundi’s full participation in regionalinitiatives and negotiations in tourism and its enabling sectors.140 See UNDP (2011) for an analysis of the links between tourism development, poverty reduction andeconomic/social inclusion in LDCs, based on a review of tourism chapters in existing DTIS.141 See, for example, the World Bank’s Africa Region Tourism Strategy (World Bank 2010b).149 / 153