Assisting tourist industry in developing countries

The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)'s Export Market Development Department provides long-term experts who help governments develop tourism policy and infrastructure so that: transport, accommodation and entertainment are to standard; openings are given to local entrepreneurs, and a harmonious relationship develops between visitor and local people. The Department also undertakes market studies to find out what tourists from different countries seek, and measures this against what a respective Commonwealth country provides or could with investment and training, provide. For instance, a recent survey was carried out for the Tourist Council of the South Pacific, on ways to increase tourism from Britain, France and Germany. The Survey provided guidelines which the Council is using in 1993 to build a more dynamic strategy in Western Europe.