Rick Bossi
Vice President and Director,
AED Center for Environmental Strategies

The answer is a resounding yes.

Our work in sustainable tourism‚ for example‚ plays a catalytic role in developing job opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for rural populations in developing countries. Tourism is a large part of a country’s gross domestic product‚ and‚ if approached correctly‚ can be used as a tool for stimulating economic growth‚ income generation‚ and job creation in overlooked‚ underdeveloped‚ or neglected areas. It can also protect‚ conserve‚ and promote natural assets‚ such as biodiversity‚ as well as cultural assets.

So that’s what we’re doing. We start with the perspective of the local individual: what he or she recognizes as something of value. Then‚ once we understand what motivates and is important to people‚ we work with them to identify opportunities to develop appropriate tourism products and services they eventually can assume on their own‚ and that‚ in turn‚ stimulate a more robust and diversified economy.

 

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