LDC Export Diversification, Employment Generation and the “Green Economy”:
What roles for tourism linkages?

Although often neglected as a serious policy option — and consequently most of its potential still remains untapped — tourism is the leading export for at least 11 LDCs, and the 2nd or 3rd largest export for another 11 or more.  It is also a major source of new employment, especially for women, youth and the rural poor in general.  While difficult to measure accurately, tourism's pro-poor impacts are directly related to the achieved level of inter- and intra-sectoral linkages.

Taking export diversification, employment generation and the “green economy” in turn, the working paper analyzes feasible LDC alternatives, reaching the conclusion (within the limits of data availability) that — in contrast with the current overemphasis on agriculture and manufacturing — green tourism is demonstrably one of the areas of greatest current comparative advantage and development potential for the majority of LDCs, via its extensive upstream and downstream linkages/multiplier effects, employment-generating and poverty alleviation capacities, opportunities for export “test marketing” of new products, sustainability, and largely untapped export opportunities. 

An economy wide, primarily private-sector approach is an essential element for maximizing tourism benefits — including its multiple linkages with agriculture and manufacturing — together with a significant coordinating governmental role to minimize negative externalities.  Unfortunately, there is no automatic guarantee that expanding tourism will significantly increase poverty alleviation or local employment generation:  the necessary mechanisms must be explicitly included in tourism planning and implementation.

 

No: ERSD-2012-24

Auteurs:

Dale Honeck, WTO

Date de rédaction: decembre 2012

Mots clés:

LDCs, LDC Graduation, Export Diversification, Development, Comparative Advantage, Employment Generation, Green Economy, Green Tourism, Pro-poor Tourism, Tourism Linkages, Cluster Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, Poverty Alleviation, MDGs, Gender Issues, FDI, GATS, Africa, Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA), Rio+20.

Cotes JEL:

F13, F18, H54, H77, I38, J16, J21, J24, K39, L52, L83, O14, O19, O24, P45, Q26, Q54, Q56  

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