Multi-Country Destination Development A Strategy to Stimulate Long Haul Travel to Community Tourism Destinations in the Americas Dr. Don Hawkins Eisenhower Professor of Tourism Policy Organization of American States Twenty-Third Inter-American Congress of Ministers & High Level Authorities of Tourism, Lima, Peru. Sept. 4, 2015

Slide presentation in English ront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/inf orme_introductorio_de_bas e_sp_final.pdf ront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/inf orme_introductorio_de_bas e_sp_final.pdf Full report in Spanish ront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/00 _dhawkins_multi_country_h aiti_slides_ pdf

multi-country destination trip A single trip that includes visitation to destinations shared by two or more countries that offer and promote a joint tourism product or route requiring air, land or water connectivity

Collecting places Enumerating the destinations visited & community uniqueness Variety and Novelty Seeking Diversified e xperiences Numerosity Create a higher perceived value in the consumer’s mind before, during and after the trip Economic Motive Consumer satisfaction – value for money paid Lower Perceived Risk Reducing the uncertainty risk especially in group travels Multiple-Country Trip Motivation: Travelers’ Perspective

Cumulative Attraction The presence of compatibility between a given set of attractions can create a synergy that makes the attraction power of the combination larger than the sum of its parts. Special Interest Appeal A combination of thematically similar destinations can be the center of attention for special interest tourists looking for a variety of different experiences in their field of interest. Complementarity Different destinations can combine their resources to become complementary attractions and gain an additional competitive advantage as a group. Joint Marketing Regional marketing cooperation with neighboring countries can offer economies of scale and boost competitiveness e.g. Yachting OECS. Multi-Country Travel: Destination Perspective

Qhapaq Nan (Andean Road System) La Ruta Maya Slave Routes Spanish Gold Routes Forts of the Caribbean Routes Tourism Route Examples Jesuit Route

Tourism Route Development Constraints Lessons Learned  Development assistance agencies are country focused and lack mechanisms for effective regional cooperation & community engagement  The major challenge in planning and establishing transnational cultural heritage routes is to ensure an effective and sustainable mechanism for international cooperation  Planning and management need to be harmonized and well- coordinated; the complete story of the route should be interpreted at all points of tourism interest, even if the visitor travels to only one part of the route. Community inclusiveness and benefit sharing through enterprise development and job creation need to be included as essential elements in route planning and implementation Benchmarks that might be adapted to the Americas region is the European Institute of Cultural Routes in Luxembourg & the UNWTO Silk Road Successful water and land route development requires that attention be given to regional cooperation for infrastructure investment

Recommendation The Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC) in 2015 recommended the following policies to stimulate multi-country destination development: 1.Expand transparent visa processes, visa waiver programmes, regional visa agreements, trusted traveler programmes & seamless travel procedures at borders 2.Use new technologies to improve travel efficiency and security. 3.Advance air, rail, sea and road connectivity 4.Stimulate government and private sector co-operation 5.Strengthen public/private partnerships to assure legislative and funding needs for improvements and expansion of infrastructure It is recommended that the Organization of American States, possibly in cooperation with the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas, bring together tourism stakeholders from the public and private sector to determine the challenges and opportunities in advancing regional tourism integration in the Americas with priority given to multi- country route development that directly benefits local communities

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