Since its inception in 1999, ODI's research programme on tourism has aimed to answer two fundamental questions:

1. How does tourism affect the poor?
2. How can tourism development be influenced to increase net benefits to the poor?

We aim to do this by informing and inspiring policies and practice to enable the private and public sectors to work more effectively. Our researchers work with a range of stakeholders and maintain a wide geographical focus to develop a detailed understanding of tourism's role in poverty alleviation and development and ways to bring benefits to local people in tourism destination areas.

We work closely with other areas of the institute, notably the Protected Livelihoods and Agricultural Growth Programme and the Forest Policy and Environment Programme.

Key projects To view a full list of projects, click here
Pathways to Prosperity: How can tourism reduce poverty? A review of the pathways, evidence and methods
		A literature review aiming to assemble what is already known about the poverty-reducing impacts of tourism across a range of developing countries. The paper also reviews different methods that have been used to assess the contributions of tourism to pro-poor growth.
		Jonathan Mitchell, Caroline Ashley, Gemma Jones	2006-2007
Strategic Review of the tourism work of the Export-led Poverty Reduction Programme (EPRP) of the UN's International Trade Centre
		Taking stock of the project and tools implemented by the Export-led Poverty Reduction Programme (EPPR) programme over the past five years, with a particular emphasis on evaluating important projects in Hoi-An in Central Vietnam and Salvador in North-East Brazil. The emphasis of the review is a forward-looking strategic intervention to scale-up the impact of the tourism programme.
		Jonathan Mitchell, Caroline Ashley	Sep - Dec 2007
Vietnam Private Sector Support Programme: Final Report on Participatory Tourism Value Chain Analysis in Da Nang, Central Vietnam
		This project aims to improve the lives of people living in Da Nang , through developing the tourist sector and improving its links to the poor. This is probably the first truly participatory tourism value chain exercise ever conducted. The study team completed 50 interviews, ten workshops and detailed hotel, tourist, taxi, and hostel surveys.
		Jonathan Mitchell	2006-2007
The Gambia Tourism Value Chain and it's Pro-Poor Impact
		This study examines the current state of tourism in The Gambia, West Africa, and proposes a series of practical measures to enhance the flow of benefits to the poor. It is based on a framework of international ‘best practice' for boosting benefits for the poor, combined with innovative local economic analysis that maps the current flows of benefits to a range of stakeholders from the tourism value chain in The Gambia.
		Jon Mitchell, Jojoh Faal	2006
Stimulating local economic linkages from tourism in Africa
		This SNV/ODI project focused on what government can do to stimulate local economic linkages from tourism, through an international workshop and the development of a Toolkit for Governments.
		Caroline Ashley	2006
Participation by the poor in Luang Prabang tourism economy: Current earnings and opportunities for expansion
		This project explored the earnings of the poor from tourism in Luang Prabang, Laos, and how they could be increased. It developed techniques to map the tourism economy across the 4 major components of the tourism value chain – accommodation, food, shopping and excursions.
		Caroline Ashley	2006