The African Nature Based Tourism Platform – Connecting Funders to Beneficiaries in 11 Countries in Eastern and Southern Afric

December 13th, 2021 – The newly launched African Nature-Based Tourism Platform (NatureBasedTourism.Africa) is 8 months into its first year of the three-year project phase. It is an innovative collaboration to channel vital COVID-19 relief and recovery funding to communities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in nature-based tourism in Africa.

Africa witnessed an estimated 90% drop in international tourism arrivals between April and December of 2020 (UNWTO, 2020). This translated into an estimated loss of $87 billion in revenue, 12.4 million jobs, and between 70-90% of conservation funding (WTTC, 2020).

Launched in April 2021, the platform has now succeeded in conducting over 500 surveys among communities and SMEs across the project focal countries, and data suggests a reduction of 58% of the staff complement across the enterprises surveyed to date. ** The surveys are collecting baseline data of how communities and SMEs are involved in nature-based tourism, their financial and staffing situation prior to the COVID-19 crisis, how the pandemic has affected this, and relief and recovery opportunities they are interested in exploring.

In addition, the platform enhances knowledge sharing between relevant stakeholders, seeks to connect potential beneficiaries to funders, facilitates the development of funding proposals from communities and SMEs, and serves as a hub for everyone involved in the sector to share and access information.

More…https://african.business/2021/12/apo-newsfeed/the-african-nature-based-tourism-platform-connecting-funders-to-beneficiaries-in-11-countries-in-eastern-and-southern-africa/

Written by African Business
Photo: The World Economic Forum