Redesigning tourism policy and practices in Africa
Submitting Institution
University of BrightonUnit of Assessment
Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and TourismSummary Impact Type
SocietalResearch Subject Area(s)
Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Tourism
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration
Summary of the impact
Researchers at the University of Brighton have changed national tourism
policy and workforce training practices in African countries. Working with
international organisations, including the World Bank and UN agencies, the
underpinning research has identified approaches for developing capacity
and skills in the tourism workforce. As a consequence, the Nigerian Board
of Technical Education redesigned the national curriculum for leisure,
tourism and hospitality; the Namibia Tourism Board introduced customer
service skills training; government guidelines for ecotourism development
were produced in West Africa. In the Gambia the research led to the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture developing service standards and
establishing the €2.7m Gambia Tourism and Hospitability Institute.
Underpinning research
Over the last 13 years, a research programme integrating academic, policy
and community-based participatory research has generated new knowledge and
methodological developments related to tourism policy and planning in
Africa. These are issues of continental importance, as Africa has been one
of the fastest-growing tourism regions in the world, but policy and
planning has been slow to respond to some of the human resource and
development challenges.
Origins: Tourism policy and planning research originates from
journal papers by BURNS [reference 3.1], NOVELLI [3.2] and BENSON [3.3]
based on findings from applied empirical work funded by the United Nations
World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the South East England Development
Agency (SEEDA). The findings demonstrated the inadequacy of traditional
approaches in tourism policy and strategic planning for human and physical
resource used both in developing and developed economies. BURNS' research
focused on post-conflict, fragile and emerging economies. This theme was
further researched in Africa by NOVELLI [3.4, 3.5] and by BENSON [3.3],
who demonstrated the opportunities and challenges for linking the rapidly
growing phenomenon of ecotourism and volunteer tourism to development.
Further empirical research by NOVELLI and BURNS [3.5] revealed the
importance of tourism network development and peer-to-peer capacity
building aimed at workforce development and poverty alleviation in Africa.
Critical intervention: The researchers devised new methodological
approaches that have also impacted upon tourism policy in Africa. A novel
participatory research method, the Rapid Situation Analysis (RSA), was
developed with funding from the ESRC (PTA-026-27-1451), and used to
produce new knowledge on innovative ways in which tourism can contribute
to local development [3.4]. Based on phenomenological principles, the RSA
approach included workshops, in-depth interviews, collaborative community
mapping and a range of public consultations aimed at investigating
stakeholder perceptions and practice in local tourism systems. RSA
demonstrated the importance of moving beyond largely Western conceived
ideas for establishing who benefits from existing tourism activities, in
order to give voice to those who experience tourism in some of the most
remote rural and poverty stricken areas of the world. In this way
indigenous voices can be embedded into both the micro- and the macro
policymaking processes.
Impact expansion: RSA has been used subsequently in research
funded by international organisations, including the World Bank, the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO),
the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the
Commonwealth Secretariat. The research has led to knowledge transfer,
human capacity building and improvement of training and service standards
in Africa. The significance of the research findings and methodological
developments in the African context has been emphasised by the decision of
the Aga Khan University to work with University of Brighton researchers in
developing their executive tourism programme to be delivered at their new
campus in East Africa.
Key researchers:
Angela Benson: |
Senior Lecturer (Jan 2004-Jul 2006), Principal
Lecturer (Aug 2006-to date) |
Peter Burns: |
Professor of Tourism and Development (Sept 2000–Sept 2013) |
Christina Koutra: |
Research Officer (Sept 2007–Aug 2008) |
Marina Novelli: |
Senior Lecturer (Sept 2002–Jul 2006), Principal Lecturer (Aug
2006–Jan 2013), Reader (Feb 2013–to date) |
References to the research
[3.1] BURNS, P. (1999) Paradoxes in planning: tourism elitism or
brutalism? Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), pp.329-349. [Quality
validation: output in leading peer-reviewed journal].
[3.2] NOVELLI, M., SCHMITZ, B and SPENCER, T. (2006) Networks, clusters
and innovation in tourism: a UK experience. Tourism Management, 27
(6), pp.1141-1152. [Quality validation: output in leading peer-reviewed
journal].
[3.3] CLIFTON, J. and BENSON, A.M. (2006) Planning for sustainable
ecotourism: the case for research ecotourism in developing country
destinations. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14(3), pp.238-254.
[Quality validation: output that has been through a rigorous peer-review
process].
[3.4] NOVELLI, M., MORGAN, N. and NIBIGIRA, C., (2012) Tourism in a
post-conflict situation of fragility. Annals of Tourism Research.
39(3), pp.1446-1469. [Quality validation: output in leading peer-reviewed
journal].
[3.5] NOVELLI, M. and BURNS, P. (2010) Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
capacity-building in tourism: values and experiences of field-based
education. Development Southern Africa. 27(5), pp.741-756. [Quality
validation: output that has been through a rigorous peer-review process].
Key research grant:
KOUTRA, `More Than Simply Corporate Social Responsibility: Implications
of CSR for Tourism Development and Poverty Alleviation in Less Developed
Countries' ESRC award, (PTA-026-27-1451), 2007-2008, total funding:
£69,840.
Details of the impact
The underpinning research and participatory methods have impacted on
policies that aim to address the lack of tourism and hospitality human
resources capacity, which is key to any nation's successful tourism
development.
The World Bank commissioned research into education, capacity building
and training in Gambia, which led to a re-designed education and training
policy. The research influenced the decision of the Spanish government to
fund The Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI), a national
centre of excellence for tourism and hospitality education. The research
provided: a feasibility assessment (2009) and business plan (2011) to
direct policy, later implemented through `The Gambia Tourism and
Hospitality Institute Bill', which sought to create an enabling
environment for Gambians to study up to the level of a Higher National
Diploma in travel, tourism and hospitality. This bill was approved by the
National Assembly in 2011 (source 5.8). Drawing upon the University of
Brighton's recommendations, the GTHI was inaugurated in 2013 after an
investment of €2.7m. The GTHI aims to train an average of 200 school
leavers per year and upgrade the level of professional training amongst
the 30,000 workers in tourism and hospitality, a sector that contributes
16% to the national GDP (5.1, 5.2).
UNESCO-funded research in Nigeria led to a new national curriculum for
leisure, tourism and hospitality workforce training. As part of a larger
project aimed at revitalising Nigeria's Technical and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET), in collaboration with the Nigeria Board of Technical
Education (NBTE), NOVELLI produced a `Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality
Curriculum Review' (2004), followed by a `Capacity
Building/Train-the-Trainers Programme' (NOVELLI and BURNS 2009). This led
to the adoption of new industry and employment-centred leisure, tourism
and hospitality teaching materials and a new national curriculum replacing
the previous redundant one, which dated back to colonial times. An
evaluation of the material and curriculum undertaken by the NBTE concluded
that the impacts had spread beyond Nigeria and that: `The tangible
outcomes of the initiative have been accepted for adoption in the ECOWAS
countries... Other counties outside the region, e.g. Libya, Bahrain,
Ethiopia, etc. have also benefitted from its achievement and have used the
curricula developed as part of their own national curricula.' (5.6).
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) contains 32 coastal states, where unsustainable
tourism practices have already led to irreparable damage to fragile
ecosystems and significant economic losses. The United Nations
Environmental Programme (UNEP), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), UNIDO
and UNWTO have worked together to develop the Collaborative Actions for
Sustainable Tourism (COAST) initiative targeting the sub-Saharan
coastline. University of Brighton researchers were part of a consortium of
five experts undertaking research in three of the nine COAST Demonstrator
Projects. Research into `Best Available Practices/Technologies' in
Nigeria, Gambia (NOVELLI) and Ghana (BENSON) led to the identification of
training needs and government guidelines for ecotourism development. On
this basis, COAST identified demonstrator sites and delivered, for
example, targeted training and local initiatives in the village of Kartong
(5.7). This research enabled local stakeholders to articulate a vision for
tourism development in their village and contributed to the community's
growing confidence in the future of that village. The process was
transformative on both sides leading to direct and indirect support for
local businesses, having far-reaching social and economic benefits within
the wider community (5.3).
The Gambia Ministry of Tourism and Culture commissioned the research
project GambiaHost that was aimed at the design of national
tourism and hospitality service standards to improve destination
competitiveness. NOVELLI facilitated participatory research with 67
industry stakeholders that identified the pitfalls of service standards
and the mitigating actions required to address them. Drawing upon the
recommendations from GambiaHost the Gambia Ministry of Tourism and
Culture funded a follow-up 12-day `Train the Trainers Programme' with 40
staff from hotels and tourism-related institutions on Customer Service
Skills and F&B Cost Control. The beneficiaries of this training will
in turn train the rest of the employees on best practices on customer
excellence in their respective hotels (5.2, 5.9).
The Commonwealth Secretariat funded a project into customer service
capacity building in order to support the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) in
implementing the 2011 `Tourism Human Resources Strategy for Namibia'.
NOVELLI and Taylor led three `train-the-trainers' pilot programmes with 60
Namibians working in tourism, who then became NTB-certified trainers in
January 2013 (5.5). Following the success of these programmes the NTB has
commissioned a further project into customer services and the delivery of
a Capacity Building Customer Service Training Programme that will train 25
tourism and shuttle operators and immigration officials in Swakopmund and
Windhoek.
NOVELLI and BURNS were further commissioned to produce two research
studies by the Aga Khan University (AKU) that produced recommendations on
ways to bridge the gap in postgraduate and executive education in Africa.
These led to AKU's strategic decision to invest in the establishment of a
new tourism-focused graduate and research school in East Africa (5.4).
Sources to corroborate the impact
5.1 Testimonial available from Private Sector Development, The World
Bank. This confirms the impact of the World Bank Project and the
establishment of the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute.
5.2 Testimonial available from The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Tourism and Culture (MOTC) of The Gambia. This confirms the development of
the World Bank funded study for the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality
Institute and the MOTC funded GambiaHost Service Standards' Study.
5.3 Testimonial available from former Chair of Kartong Association for
Responsible Tourism and proprietor of Sandele Eco-retreat and Learning
Centre, The Gambia. This confirms the impact of the UNIDO COAST Project on
local businesses and the local community.
5.4 Testimonial available from Senior Advisor, Aga Khan Development
Network, Project Director Graduate School of Leisure and Tourism. This
confirms the establishment of a new tourism-focused graduate and research
school.
5.5 Testimonial available from Industry Human Resources Development
Coordinator, Namibia Tourism Board. This confirms the impact of the
customer service training and support with the implementation of the
Tourism Human Resources Strategy for Namibia.
5.6 KAZAURE (2012) Impact Evaluation Study of the UNESCO-Nigeria TVE
Revitalisation Project. Available at:
http://www.adeanet.org/triennale/Triennalestudies/subtheme2/2_1_07_Kazaure_en.pdf
[Accessed: 8 November 2013]. This evaluation confirms that the impacts had
travelled further than Nigeria. The evidence of expansion is quoted on
page 7.
5.7 COAST (2012) Quarterly newsletter, Edition 1, October 2012.
Available at:
http://coast.iwlearn.org/en/en/TheCOASTProjectNewsletter2012.pdf
[Accessed: 8 November 2013].
COAST (2013) Third Quarterly newsletter, June 2013. Available at:
http://coast.iwlearn.org/en/en/News%20and%20Events/3rdCOASTProjectNewsletterEditionJune20133.pdf.
[Accessed: 8 November 2013]. This confirms that COAST identified
demonstrator sites and delivered targeted training and local initiatives
in the village of Kartong.
5.8 Gambia Hotel school Bill press release. Dibba, A.G. (2011) Gambia:
Tourism and Hospitality Institute Bill Passed. Foroyaa Newspaper,
[online] 16 Dec 2012. Available at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201112160951.html.
[Accessed: 8 November 2013] This provides confirmation that the Bill was
passed.
5.9 Service Standards Development in The Gambia press release. Sallu,
Y.S. (2012) Tourism Minister: Gambians are `Jewels'. Daily
Observer [online] Available at:
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/tourism-minister-gambians-are-jewels.
[Accessed: 8 November 2013]. This confirms the impact of continued
training and enhancement of quality service standards.