DILI, 23 june 2022 (TATOLI) – The Deputy Minister of Community and Cultural Tourism, Inacia da Conceição Teixeira said community-based tourism should involve local communities starting from making the initial plan through to the implementation of the projects.
“In our national tourism policy, Timor-Leste has defined five pillars and one of them is putting people, especially the local communities at the center of the development of community-based tourism,” Teixeira made the comments at the UNWTO Global Summit on Community-based Tourism in the Maldives.
She said previously, that the government put infrastructure development as a key priority for the development of community-based tourism, and unfortunately, it didn’t work that way.
“So, we came up with a survey and we found that involving local communities is crucial to ensuring sustainable community-based tourism. It means the local communities are entirely responsible for building and developing the local tourism independently from initial planning to development. The government’s responsibility is providing financial assistance and guideline, and conducting monitoring, and evaluation,” she said.
Teixeira stressed that therefore the involvement of the community leader, marginalized groups, and veterans is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of community-based tourism.
Challenges facing Timor-Leste with the development of the community-based tourism
She said basic infrastructure makes it difficult to accelerate the development process of community-based tourism in Timor-Leste – Water, road, and electricity: “Therefore, inter-ministerial cooperation is important to ensure the development of local tourism. For instance, some tourist spots require the Ministry of Public Works to build roads, electricity, and water supply.”
“Another challenge facing Timor-Leste in terms of the development of community-based tourism is human resources. The government has so far conducted capacity building and training on Tourism and Hospitality and Culinary,” she said.
Teixeira added that the land issue is also another challenge facing Timor-Leste in terms of the development of Community-Based Tourism: “Any entity could claim ownership of the tourist spots in the local area. Thus, before developing tourist spots, you need to solve the land issue with local communities, etc.
She added as a new country, the development of Timor-Leste’s tourism is still in its early stage, but saying through community-based tourism projects, the government will be able to solve both social and economic issues at the same time.
“We always believe that the best part of the country is not in Dilli, the capital of the country. Thus, the communities in rural areas and rural villages will be benefited from the development of community-based tourism,” Teixeira concluded.
The 2022 UNWTO Global Summit on Community-based Tourism, jointly organized by UNWTO and the Ministry of Tourism of the Maldives.
The summit provided a platform for global tourism leaders to discuss the contribution of community-based tourism to the achievement of sustainable development goals and its accompanying challenges from the different perspectives of the diverse actors beyond the tourism sector.
The Summit was held from 15-16 june 2022, at Crossroads Maldives and Paradise Island Resort and Spa.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
