[Fwd: CARIBBEAN/BARBADOS: Tourism Group Seeking Funding]

Jayne Musumba wrote:
>
> Tourism group seeking funding - Tuesday-17-April-2001
>
> DECREASING funding for some non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
> has convinced the heads of one newly-formed tourism agency and a
> Government minister that they need to look at the communities for
> support.
>
> Chairperson of the newly formed Community Tourism Foundation
> (CTF) Maxine McClean said at the launching last week: “In very
> recent times non-governmental organisations in Barbados have been
> facing reduced support from traditional funders who have largely
> been international donor agencies or other non-governmental
> organisations in the developed world.”
>
> She said the Caribbean was now being seen as being some of the
> “better off nations” in the developing world, and donor agencies
> were now turning their attention elsewhere.
>
> McClean said results of a recent study undertaken by the
> Caribbean Policy Development Centre showed that the contribution
> of NGOs in poorer communities had helped to improve the quality
> of life for these persons.
>
> External support
>
> With the falling level of external support, she added, self-help
> initiatives had been identified as the answer for keeping NGOs
> alive, hence the formation of the CTF, and the focus on
> communities.
>
> Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch agreed, saying: “It is now
> necessary to embrace our people in tourism development and the
> tourism development process like we have never in the past.”
>
> He said local communities and workers were now more concerned
> about the direct benefits of tourism.
>
> “It is clear that the view of local communities must be seriously
> taken in to consideration by policy-makers. Resources must be
> provide to reach them more adequately than before and
> well-planned strategically placed programmes must be put in
> place,” he said, adding that the CTF would provide the
> much-needed connection between tourism and the communities.
>
> Executive trustee of the CTF, Richard Jones said the foundation
> had conceptualised various methods of pooling funding for
> development of community initiatives.
>
> He said grants for the youth, scholarships in hospitality areas
> and surveys and studies on tourism would also be examined by the
> CTF.
>
> SOURCE: Barbados Nation
>
Received on Wed Apr 18 08:44:47 2001