Excerpt from the seminal paper by UK’s Department for International Development reflecting on the crucial role tourism can play in developing countries.

“Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world, and tourism in developing countries is growing twice as fast as that in the rest of the world. Wildlife tourism presents a major source of future comparative advantage for some poor countries, including many in southern and eastern Africa. PPT is potentially a powerful force in delivering poverty reduction in these countries, both by helping to adjust the existing industry structure and by influencing the pattern of future tourism development.”

“However, with the exception of community-based tourism, the bulk of tourism still marginalises poor people. The challenge is to test and apply mechanisms for increasing the share of the poor in tourism value added through ‘pro poor tourism’, particularly in terms of creating the incentives and opportunities for improved private sector participation contribution to poverty reduction. These approaches are fairly new, but the evidence to date indicates that they may offer significant potential for impact on poverty, and should be supported.”

DFID. 2002. Wildlife and Poverty Study. Prepared by the Livestock and Wildlife Advisory Group, Rural Livelihoods Department, Department for International Development, United Kingdom, 19 December 2002.