Integrating Business Skills into Ecotourism operations By Thomas Iten, Managing Director, Private Safaris (E.A.) Ltd. Ecotourism Potential

Ecotourism Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.

Agenda Your product The host community Sustainability Your business plan The future

Your product

Unique yet responsible What is your product offering? What value, benefits & attributes does your product offer to the customer? What makes the product unique – What are your unique selling points? (USP) Would it be a product sought after? Does the product leave a lasting effect?

Accessibility & Capacity What is your product offering? (2) Is the location accessible? – Infrastructure, map, distances (is this information available?) Do you have the capacity to accommodate customer volume? Facility, Safety & Security, Waste management, water supply, electricity…. Pricing: is the price of your product competitive? Will you make profit at the end?

You and your product ◦ What skills do you bring? ◦ What skills do you need? ◦ Motivation of staff ◦ Training needs identified ◦ Planning the work flow system What is your product offering? (3) Are you delivering to the promise? Does the service delivery meet the expectations?

The Host Community

View of the host community Is there established interest for tourism among the host community? Have you Initiated high level of participation by establishing understanding of the project and the benefits? Are the local non-participants supportive? Have you Identified community leaders who uphold the values? Do you have an established communication platform – such as regular meetings, clear channels of communication e.t.c

Benefits for the host community Does the local community benefit financially and beyond? How are the benefits shared?  The split between you and the community  The split within the community. Are there possible negative Impacts?  Cultural pollution  Culture of dependency  Diminished income streams rather than increased

Sustainability

Sustainability Does your project contribute to sustainable tourism? ◦ Bio diversity conservation- Practices, activities, values ◦ Cultural conservation – improved standards of living,

Making it a success Planning the business Understand your target market and establish interest for the product – make the market want your product. Conduct research - This will help understand the market and allow make informed decisions. Identify distribution channels and partners such as tour operators, travel agents e.t.c Identify all areas of making the business economically viable

Business planning contd. Analyze competition to gain a competitive edge – do it differently Carry out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis Create a clear organization chart Check on legal setup, licenses, insurance e.t.c

Rule of thumb When presenting your product to a potential travel operator or agency, you need to:  Be confident about your product  Know your unique selling points  Have a clear offer of the itinerary and price as well as pictures that give an indication of the expectation

The future

The Future Set clear objectives and goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) Remain relevant to the market by monitoring:  Competition  Market trends,  Consumer change to tastes and preferences Remain innovative – Keep trying new things

THANK YOU Q & A