UN-backed project to provide tourism management skills in Africa and Asia

Some 8,000 tourism workers and entrepreneurs from developing countries in Africa and Asia will benefit from a training project supported by the United Nations and implemented by an international development organization based in the Netherlands.

The project, which is backed by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will provide vocational tourism training in Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal and Vietnam – countries where tourism is increasingly a leading source of jobs and economic growth.

It will be implemented by the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation with €2 million ($2.87 million) in funding from the European Union.

Workers and entrepreneurs participating in the High Impact Tourism Training (HITT) initiative will receive practical tourism training in major working areas to improve their technical and management skills, increase their income potential and enhance their resilience in the event of crises in the sector.

Participants will also benefit from links established through the project with the mainstream tourism sector, which will open opportunities for entrepreneurs and workers.

Each of the seven pilot countries is home to one or more of UNWTO's Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) and/or technical cooperation projects which aim to reduce poverty through sustainable forms of tourism.

Local communities involved in those projects will directly benefit from HITT, which will be implemented through an alliance involving national and local governments, syndicates, technical and vocational education and training providers, and the private sector.

Tourism is one of the world's largest job creators and currently accounts for one in every 12 jobs globally, according to UNWTO. The training project is largely directed towards the most vulnerable groups, such as rural communities, youth and women, who have high levels of unemployment.