Sustainable Tourism on the Move in Mali
BANDIAGARA, Mali —— A planning workshop was held from December 10 - 12 in Bandiagara, a city that is known at the “gateway” to Dogon country. Over 100 people took part in the “Whole System in a Room” process to help define what key issues surround tourism in the Dogon Country and what potentially can be done to help preserve the environment, make tourism more sustainable and keep more revenues in the villages in Dogon Country.
There were 88 official participants at the beginning of the workshop and at the closing 66 remained. This was a workshop of Malians for Mali! There were 10 stakeholder groups including Local Administrations, Local Governments, Regional Governments, International Partners, Associations, NGOs, Village leaders, Tour Guides/ Tour Operators, Hotel Managers and the media. The Global Sustainable Tourist Alliance (GSTA) is a program initiated in Washington and managed by the Academy of Educational Development. Ten common goals were agreed upon by all participants, all very closely linked to issues that emerged during the GSTA assessment conducted in October.
The Peace Corps and the US Forest Service are joining USAID in working on sustainable tourism in Dogon Country. Conservation of the environment was the overwhelming winner in terms of how many groups promoted that as their common goal. Everyone agreed to pursue, in the next ten years: Conservation of the Environment; Improvement of communications among the different tourism actors; Promotion, Diversification and Enhancement of the value of tourist products; Creation of an entity to coordinate activities within the sector; Development and Renovation of tourism sites and monuments; Improvement of legislation concerning tourism and better application; Conservation of the Cultural and Natural Patrimony; Improvement of livelihoods; Improvement of infrastructure in Dogon Country (roads, tracks, hotels, lodging, etc.) and Professional Training.
Stakeholder groups elaborated and presented short-term and medium-term collaborative action plans (three months and three years). These plans will help the GSTA group outline exactly what the project will address in the coming threeyear effort. The next steps for the program include finalization of the work plan with stakeholders and USAID Mali — Jean Harman, USAID Mali.
Last Updated: Wednesday April 9, 2008