TIDE Tours - Economic Evaluation

While the TEA programme gives limited benefit to entire communities, TIDE’s eco-tours give benefits to only the small group of guides that it uses, of which there are twenty. When asked which of the tours were “eco-tours”, Ms. Diamond (TIDE’s ecotourism coordinator) replied “All our tours are eco-tours, they’re all minimal impact”. Section VI noted that this was indeed the case for the environment, but it also seems to be the case for the local community in terms of any benefits from ecotourism. My kayak tour between the Maya villages of Jordan and Santa Ana resulted in economic benefit being obtained by one person only – my Creole guide, who was a “local person” in the sense that he lived in the district capital, Punta Gorda. No benefit went to the local Maya communities – there was not even the suggestion that I might buy some local crafts or a drink from the village shop at the end of the tour. However, my guide did benefit significantly himself, being paid $50 BZ ($25US) for half a day’s work.

TIDE as a whole obtains funding from various international organisations, but the ecotourism subsidiary has no direct funding. TIDE essentially provides equipment and directs would-be ecotourists to local guides, many of whom have their own private tourism enterprises. The organisation takes a small cut for doing so but does not make a profit - the estimated income of $4000 BZ ($2000 US) is spent on salaries and rent, but does not fully cover Miss Diamond’s salary, which is in part subsidized through a small grant from the USA .

When compared with the TEA, TIDE’s eco-tours give economic benefit to only a very limited number of people. My TIDE guide stated that the local communities did not benefit, only the guides. When asked how the local communities benefited from TIDE-tours, Miss Diamond replied: “That’s sticky. I think PG (Punta Gorda) benefits a lot from what we’re doing”, noting the extra income obtained by the tourism industry in the district capital. She also stated “The intention is that all the villages would benefit. To send someone to Blue Creek, I would hope to use a Blue Creek guide” – however, my research showed that this does not seem to be the case generally.

TIDE falls short of achieving the aim of ecotourism that is achieved by the TEA – that local communities should benefit from the presence of tourism. As a result many people questioned had negative opinions of TIDE as they believed TIDE provided little or no benefit to their community. The importance of local communities obtaining benefits is based on the fact that they require benefit if they are to support the local tourism and conservation initiatives. TIDE’s management of the Port of Honduras Marine Reserve has benefited both the environment and the local fishermen in the long term, yet a sizeable minority of southern Belizean fishermen fail to support TIDE’s conservation efforts [TIDE & TRIGOH publication, 2000]. In conclusion, while TIDE has benefited local residents in Punta Gorda, it has failed to provide any real benefit to the poorer rural Maya communities, amongst which much of the ecotourism is based.

Community Ecotourism and adventure tours in Ecuador at Piedra Blanca