By David Okul
Stakeholder participation has been described as an essential element in successful sustainable tourism development as it helps coordinate and balance decision-making based on the needs and interests of relevant parties. The goal of stakeholder participation is to balance the power between all parties to promote a win-win situation in tourism development. Participation is therefore defined as “a process of involving all stakeholders including local government officials, local citizens, architects, developers, business people, and planners in such a way that decision-making is shared.
CBT partnerships is a vital piece of success
It is difficult for CBT to make it alone in the journey of tourism. It is always a good idea to seek synergetic partnerships. The partnerships need to build up the CBT.
Most CBT initiatives get initial funding from an external source, such as donors, government, or development agencies. Over time, the resources diminish and the community needs to depend on tour operators for marketing.
The value of partnerships could be vindicated by the fact that it is the Sustainable Development Goal 17.
How CBT partnerships can be developed with relevant stakeholders?
- Identify and select local service providers. A CBTO can look for several service providers including tour guides, transport services, farmers (to supply food), caterers, cleaning services, and security personnel. It is important not to compromise on the qualities set when selecting local service providers
- Approach the local authorities for partnerships. The emergence of county governments in Kenya presents an opportunity for CBTOs to collaborate with them. Most county governments in Kenya have a tourism department that can assist CBTOs in various aspects such as marketing, training, and business development guidance. Furthermore, local tourism is a devolved function under the Constitution of Kenya. This provides an opportunity for productive engagement with CBTOs.
- Approach other CBTOs in the area. A CBTO stands a better chance of achieving success if it partners with other community-based organizations. For starters, CBTOs should always consider sourcing their goods and services from other CBOs. Moreover, they can partner with other CBTOs if they offer complementary services. It is a good practice to partner with other CBTOs as they might help in referring guests when they have excessive orders.
- Partner with the tour operators or tour guides. Tour operators (TOs) with a good understanding of the market demand can plan trips for large numbers of visitors. When partnering with TOs to craft and market unique experiences for the visitors, their business skills and market access can be valuable assets for enhancing CBTOs’ professional operation and marketing activities.
- Develop a formal communication strategy to communicate with stakeholders. Formal communication channels transmit information such as goals, policies, and procedures for an organization. This information can be delivered through newsletters and official communications. Ideally, a CBTO creates a monthly or quarterly newsletter to communicate the activities of the enterprise. Emails and networks such as LinkedIn are good channels for conveying formal communication.
- Develop an informal communication strategy. Informal communication channel occurs in a relaxed atmosphere. Communication through social media networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp can also be used.
- Develop an unofficial communication strategy. This occurs between stakeholders in social functions such as weddings and funerals. CBTO members need to use the opportunities of social communication to enhance the partnership of stakeholders.
- Ensure that the CBTO has a communication channel that communicates with the various stakeholders regularly e.g. weekly, monthly, or as the need arises.
Recap
Honestly, creating viable partnerships for CBT initiatives is a complicated task. It may sound simple, but it is not. While working with CBT initiatives in Kenya, I have observed key lessons in creating partnerships:
Lesson 1: keep the interest of the community at the heart of all partnerships. You rather forgo a partnership than commit to a union that may bring discord among the CBT members. It is vital for CBT members to get involved and participate in partnership decisions.
Lesson 2: Delays are inevitable. Some CBT and CBOs are quite informal, as a result, they are not run professionally. It is good to learn to work with delays and unprofessionalism while trying to improve relationships. For CBTs, patience pays
Lesson 3: Develop networks for partnerships. Work at maintaining networks because some develop into viable partnerships
Tasks for CBT Initiatives
List the current partners of your CBTO
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List potential partners for your CBTO
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How does the CBTO communicate to its partners?
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David Okul is a Kenyan environmental management professional with over 10 years experience on donor projects, conservation, forestry, ecotourism, and community-based natural resources management. When not working on environmental projects, I spend my time writing for Silvica on a variety of topics. The views in this blog are personal and do not represent the organizations that he is associated with.
