Assisting Atkoma Grow an Inclusive Tourism Industry While Protecting the Island's Natural and Cultural Resources: Implementation Report

to assist ATKOMA, the newly registered tourism association of Ataúro Island, in implementing a tourism strategy developed in 2018 with the support of USAID's Tourism For All Project. The report highlights the key proposed activities for the remainder of FY2019, including assisting ATKOMA to operationalize and implement an annualized strategy and action plan, developing new tourism experiences in project focus communities, establishing a visitor information center, and promoting sustainable tourism practices. The project team, in collaboration with ATKOMA and Conservation International, aims to create an enabling environment for the development of additional tourism SMEs, investments, and employment in Ataúro. The report emphasizes the importance of supporting ATKOMA's organizational development, including providing a roadmap and business model to assist the tourism stakeholders in understanding how to develop and operate a revenue-generating Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO). The project team conducted meetings with ATKOMA's leadership group and board officers to introduce best practices in organizational governance and provide support in recruiting additional board members. The report also highlights the need for destination marketing and recommends improvements and additions to the existing marketing materials, including the development of a visitor guide that showcases the most important attractions and members of ATKOMA. The guide will be distributed selectively around the island and to key tourism marketing partners, with each hotel or lodge receiving enough copies to put one in each guest room and each member of ATKOMA receiving enough to share with guests. The project team has identified the staffing required to support start-up activities and agreed to contract team members of the island's NGO Roman Luan to support ATKOMA in the early days of organizational development. The project team will manage these consultants and assist them in implementing the start-up activities outlined in the work plan. The report concludes that the project team is collectively moving forward the key proposed activities, with a focus on supporting ATKOMA's organizational development, destination marketing, and sustainable tourism practices. The project aims to create an enabling environment for the development of additional tourism SMEs, investments, and employment in Ataúro, while promoting the island's natural and cultural resources. The project's objectives include enhancing the competitiveness of sustainable tourism in Ataúro, supporting market access of small and micro tourism enterprises, creating an enabling environment for the development of additional tourism SMEs, investments, and employment, and strengthening partnerships between public and private sector groups aligned to support sustainable tourism in Ataúro. The project team has identified several revenue strategies for ATKOMA, including membership fees, sales of Ataúro merchandise, tour sales and online reservations for visitors, administration of the collection and distribution of the Tara Bandu fees to the Locally Managed Marine Protected Areas LMMPAs, potential island arrival fee, and potential voluntary fee from visitors to accommodation providers. The project's geographic focus is on Ataúro Island, with a focus on supporting the development of sustainable tourism practices and promoting the island's natural and cultural resources. The project's timeframes are outlined in the work plan, with a focus on implementing the key proposed activities during the remainder of FY2019. The project's recommendations include the development of a visitor guide, the establishment of a visitor information center, and the promotion of sustainable tourism practices. The project team will continue to support ATKOMA's organizational development and destination marketing efforts, with a focus on creating an enabling environment for the development of additional tourism SMEs, investments, and employment in Ataúro.