Down to Business

I don’t want to give the impression that developing tourism is just gadding about the country eating, drinking, enjoying the scenery and testing exotic bathroom arrangements. That’s the tough part, of course, but there’s also sharing experience and trying to influence key stakeholders to adopt new ways of doing things.

The goal of VSO is to eliminate poverty and I believe that efforts to achieve this must be directed first and foremost at host country governments. It’s no good treating the symptoms without attacking the cause. There has been a lot of excellent work here to support the growth of tourism going back more than ten years but little of it has lasted. It has often been narrowly focused on specific regions or groups, effective so long as a project has been in place and grant funding has been coming through, but then allowed to peter out. This is partly because there have not been any supporting policy changes from central government. Regional marketing and product development projects, for example, are going to struggle if access to the country is difficult and expensive.

To address this we now have a comprehensive national Plan for the industry covering access, marketing, quality advice, visitor information, signage, tourism infrastructure and – generally – how to cope with those very difficult, demanding and capricious people we call tourists. Within this there are detailed plans for reforms in areas like the visa regime, air access and small business financing.

   

There is hardly a dissenting voice to the Plan, but that is deceptive. Changes threaten vested interests and a person's public position of country before self is very rarely wholly borne out in practice. We can expect some turbulence.

Anyway, the Plan will go to the newly-elected President in December and we are optimistic. One advantage of a “streamlined” democratic process is that, if approved, it can proceed fairly quickly to implementation.

Somon Palace : The Seat of Power

There has been one ray of sunshine already. Tourist visas for trips of up to 45 days are now available for £20. This is a marked improvement on the standard visa rates - which meant spending £60 to £80 – and also comes with a waiver on the need to register with the security services when in the country. So I’m expecting plane loads of Brits clogging up my trolley bus and favourite choikhona  any time soon.

As well as developing recommendations with government I have been acting out the professorial bit with lectures, presentations and workshops. Last week I was back in the town of Garm, in the east between the Fan Mountains and the Pamirs. 

Late Autumn in Garm

I was working with a group of youngsters who are interested in bringing tourism to the area. Their English is quite good but their grasp of economics and business comes from old Soviet textbooks…. This, as well as endearing local culture, showed through in some of our exchanges.

Me : “We should do some market research.”

Them : “Why?”

Me : “So we know what people want.”

Them : “Why do we want to know what people want?”...

Or

Me : “If we attract lots of visitors where will they stay?”

Them : “It’s OK we’ll find families who will take them.”

Me : “But we have to organise this on a commercial basis.”

Them : “No, don’t worry. Just tell them to turn up and we’ll look after them.”

Or

Me : “What can visitors do when they come here?”

Them : “We’ll take them to a Tajik wedding.”

Me : “Wouldn’t the bride and groom and their relatives want to have a say in this?”

Them : “Why?”..

The new Tajikistan marketing campaign - "Just Turn Up"

 Next week I’m off up into the Pamirs again for another workshop. I have a feeling that it’s me who is getting educated about hospitality and tourism.