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Organization type: NGO
Profile:
Counterpart International is a 40-year old NGO dedicated to “giving people a voice in their own future through smart partnerships, offering options and access to tools for sustained social, economic and environmental development.” CPI is active in environmental management, enterprise development, civil society support, health, food security, and humanitarian assistance. Its multi-sectoral portfolio spans more than three dozen countries in the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently, its organization-wide donor portfolio manages more than $90 million in projects, complemented by an additional $100 million of annual in-kind donations through its community and Humanitarian Assistance Programs. CPI implements its programs with a staff of nearly 500 through a network of 17 international program offices, and with partners and affiliate organizations in 21 countries.
Areas of Sustainable Tourism (ST) expertise:
CPI recognizes the importance of tourism as the world’s largest industry, and the contribution sustainable tourism can make to poverty reduction, healthy environments, economic development, and political stability. CPI, therefore, focuses its efforts on ensuring tourism developments provide fair and equitable socio-economic benefits; conserve natural and cultural resources; and ensure social and cultural sensitivity with high levels of tourist satisfaction. CPI has developed a flexible set of tools to address the complexities of tourism when used as a vehicle for sustainable development. Its areas of expertise (see below) are wide-ranging, covering different scales of operation and aspects of sustainable tourism development. CPI’s expertise in Sustainable Tourism includes the following:
- Community-based Ecotourism:
- Program design, training, monitoring, and evaluation;
- Natural and cultural resources conservation and management;
- Community tourism association development and capacity-building; and
- Community tourism fund design, grants management, monitoring, and evaluation.
- Public and Private Sector Sustainable Tourism Master Plan Design and Management:
- Market supply and demand studies;
- Environmental and social impact assessments; and
- Community-based, cultural and ecotourism cost-benefit analysis.
- Product/Destination Design and Management:
- Cultural and heritage-based tourism site design, development, and training;
- Archaeological site restoration and conservation training for local communities;
- Coral reef and coastal zone tourism program design and management;
- Multi-media tourism marketing (Internet, TV, radio, print); and
- Quality control and certification schemes.
- Capacity-building for Tourism, and Public Awareness for Tourism:
- Information and communication technology training;
- At-risk youth training, mentoring and job-placement with the tourism sector;
- Community tourism program design training for government agencies, e.g., Ministries of Tourism, Environment, Archeology, Culture and Finance; and
- Media exchanges and campaigns, advocacy.
Particular tourism niches:
In addition to the above areas of expertise, CPI has filled the following niches that are critical to successful sustainable tourism development.
- Cross-sectoral approaches and partnerships in sustainable tourism
Counterpart’s integrated model for sustainable tourism development involves working with a range of partners and across a variety of sectors. Strategic partnerships are critical to its success in sustainable tourism. Typically CPI works with government, businesses, civil society organizations, and local communities to design, implement, and manage its programs. Working across sectors is also crucial, so the organization draws upon expertise and experience from the various sectors in which it is active, including civil society engagement, health, enterprise development, food security, and environmental management. CPI has also developed models of public-private partnerships worldwide—all in tourism destinations—to address globally significant biodiversity and cultural ‘hotspots.’ These partnerships not only mobilize much-needed resources for tourism development, but also provide opportunities for increasing awareness and building consensus on the best ways and means to support responsible tourism growth.
- Participatory and community-based natural and cultural asset conservation
Unique to CPI is the integration of innovative natural and cultural resource restoration and conservation programs, such as Forest and Coral Gardens and community-based archeology. These programs offer opportunities within sustainable tourism initiatives to increase the range of activities for visitors; generate tangible economic incentives for biodiversity and cultural conservation; build local capacity in conservation; and fully engage all stakeholders in tourism development and resource conservation. As a result, CPI is not only conserving valuable natural and cultural assets, but also creating a cadre of community professionals with marketable skills in biodiversity conservation, archeological restoration and visitor management.
- Media exchanges for sustainable tourism
Recognizing the importance of advocacy, public awareness and the role of the media in sustainable tourism development, CPI has developed successful models for media exchanges and learning on tourism and related issues. CPI’s media exchanges are designed to enhance flows of information to strengthen tourism policy and increase understanding of the multi-sectoral value of sustainable tourism. Outcomes have included extensive media coverage, resource restoration initiatives, public-private sector collaboration and other international partnerships.
Regions worked:
- Asia and the Near East:
- Vietnam
- Kyrgyzstan
- Fiji
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tahiti
- Micronesia
- Papua New Guinea
- Latin America and the Caribbean:
- Jamaica
- Barbados
- Antigua
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Dominican Republic
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Brazil
USAID projects:
- Guatemala: Maya Community Development and Sustainable Tourism
(2003 to present)
CPI is working with local communities to promote sustainable tourism activities as a complementary source of income generation and asset protection. CPI has successfully integrated indigenous Maya communities surrounding archeological sites into the workforce at the archeological digs. Local people are actively excavating, serving as tour guides, and designing and building tourism infrastructure in and around the sites. At five key sites community members are trained in business management, culinary arts and hospitality, tour guiding, natural and archeological interpretation, archeological excavation, trail building and maintenance. CPI is also working with regional enterprises to develop and strengthen relationships along the tourism value-chain. Hotel owners and local guides providing services near the sites are developing marketing relationships with tour operators in centrally located tourism access cities and towns. Key milestones and achievements to date include:
- Design of tourism management plans for two national protected areas;
- Three indigenous Maya communities included in co-management of the Candelaria National Park and Cancuen Cultural Site;
- More than 400 local jobs created at four world-class archeological restoration projects at Cancuen, El Mirador, El Peru and Piedras Negras;
- Ten local tourism associations strengthened by institutionalization of organizational management procedures and financial management plans; and
- Development and implementation of a marketing strategy for the Alta Verapaz and Peten regional adventure tourism circuit, resulting in the development of a regional website and growing media coverage, including articles and TV documentaries.
web site: www.puertamundomaya.com
- Fiji: Coral Gardens-Living Reefs and Community Tourism (2005 to present)
Sustainable tourism is crucial for the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic well-being of the small island nations of the Pacific. With its key local partners, the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific and Fijian Shangri-la Resort, CPI is spearheading sustainable tourism activities in the region. Measures to increase benefits of reef tourism to the communities include the establishment of permanent marine parks, training reef guides and fish wardens from local communities as marine park staff, improving the visitor experience, and establishment of visitor-supported financial mechanisms for long-term project sustainability where possible. Primary external funding at present is through a USAID/Global Development Alliance grant awarded in 2005.
- Caribbean: Sustainable Tourism Media Exchanges (2001 to present)
A premier media conference, Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) enhances the flow of information to strengthen Caribbean tourism policy, increase understanding of the multi-sectoral value of sustainable tourism, and highlight the importance of tourism to the economies of small island states. CPI launched CMEx in October 2001 with private funding, working with major operators in the region, including the Punta Cana and Sandals Resorts. CMEx has attracted a distinguished group of international media, including The Associated Press, BBC World Service, CNN, National Geographic Traveler, NBC, and USA Today. Newspaper articles, radio shows, television features, coral reef restoration initiatives, and public-private sector collaboration and other international partnerships are some CMEx outcomes. Since it was launched, CMEx has garnered the participation of more than 150 journalists and enlisted the support of private and public sector partners such as American Express, Jamaica Air, Continental Airlines, the Caribbean Hotel Association, the United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Development Programme, and USAID.
- Caribbean: Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Honduras and Barbados - Coral Garden and Community Tourism Initiative (2004 to present)
CPI is currently implementing a regional coral reef restoration and community tourism program called the Caribbean Coral Garden Initiative, adapting its successful model developed in the Pacific. This initiative has a multi-stakeholder focus with participation by government, NGOs, communities, and the private sector. Public-private partnerships are critical to the initiative; for example, in Honduras, the Coral Garden Project is an innovative public-private partnership involving the Honduras Ministries of Tourism and Fisheries, Honduras SAVE Project, a local NGO partner, the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA), private sector resorts, and dive operators. The project receives funding from a variety of sources, including the Darwin Initiative (UK) and USAID.
- Brazil: At-Risk Youth IT/Tourism Training (2004 to present)
In partnership with Brazil’s Instituto de Hospitalidad, CPI has developed a model training program for young people to enter the tourism industry. The Training, Mentoring, and Employment for At-Risk Youth Program provides technical training in the lodging, travel and tourism, food and beverage, and self-employment sectors of the tourism industry. Program participants enroll in a four-month training course to acquire information technology skills for one of the four sectors. Upon graduation from the training program, participants can enter a mentorship to acquire on-the-job training and gain real-world experience. For this mentorship component, the program has established links with trade associations in the hotel, restaurant, and tour operator sectors—all representing potential employment opportunities. In its first year, the program trained and facilitated job placement in the tourism industry for approximately 450 at-risk youth, and estimates facilitating job placement for 600 in the second year. The program is being expanded from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Recife as a national model for youth training, with $4 million in additional funding from USAID Brazil, GDA, IDB, the Brazil Ministry of Tourism, and International Youth Foundation.
- Bulgaria: Community Tourism Support (2004)
Through the Community Fund and Social Enterprise Initiative, CPI improved the conditions for tourism in Bulgaria. Located in the scenic Rodope Mountains, the village of Bogutevo wanted to improve the conditions for tourism as a way to improve the community’s socio-economic conditions. CPI helped 600 citizens of Bogutevo start a community fund to improve the town’s tourism conditions. The community raised money that was matched by CPI, and the community fund managers made all decisions regarding prioritization of renovations and repairs. Each family in the town gave both cash and in-kind contributions to the project to increase tourism. Activities undertaken by the town included renovating wooden fences, the fronts of public buildings, and bus stop shelters; installing information signs, and cleaning public areas. The initiative also received support from the Mayor of Bogutevo who allocated money from the municipal budget for renovation of street lights, one of the town’s highest priorities. The town expects a significant increase in tourists in 2005 as a direct result of the project.
- Kyrgyzstan: Tourism Industry Development in Kyrgyzstan (2004)
Through the Enterprise Development Project, CPI is helping Kyrgyzstan to develop its tourism industry. Kyrgyzstan is a country with great potential for tourism, but due to restricted market access in the tourism industry and a lack of common vision by tour operators, it cannot take full advantage of this potential. Counterpart, however, is helping to overcome this by providing grant and technical support to the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators. CPI facilitated a series of trainings in destination marketing for more than a dozen member companies of the Association and also helped them to raise money for the design and publication of a brochure on tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Tour companies used the booklet and related videos during their participation in international tourism fairs. As a result of this new marketing strategy and increased exposure from the tourism publications, the number of visitors received by members rose by 17 to 20 percent between 2003 and 2004.
Recent ST partnerships and collaborations:
- Bay Islands Conservation Association (Honduras)
- Caribbean Hotel Association
- Conservation International
- Darwin Initiative
- Government of Brazil
- Government of Honduras
- Instituto de Hospitalidade
- Inter-American Development Bank
- Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators
- National Geographic Society
- SNV-Vietnam
- The George Washington University
- UNESCO
- UNEP - International Coral Reef Action Network
- United Nations Population Fund
Contact:
Raymond Chavez
Counterpart International
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Phone (202) 296-9676
www.counterpart.org
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