Ecotourism in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Region

An untapped potential with considerable Socio-economic opportunities
Ecotourism is an important and rapidly growing “niche market” within the global tourism industry, which offers an opportunity to develop products that can contribute to national environmental conservation, socio-economic and cultural objectives by providing livelihoods for local communities and giving value to the maintenance of local traditions and culture.
Ecotourism in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Region

Ecotourism is an important and rapidly growing “niche market” within the global tourism industry, which offers an opportunity to develop products that can contribute to national environmental conservation, socio-economic and cultural objectives by providing livelihoods for local communities and giving value to the maintenance of local traditions and culture. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states comprising of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda have supported tourism development and ecotourism is slowly but steadily developing in most member countries.

Given the vast natural, cultural and historical resources in the IGAD region, this study was commissioned by the Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to assess the level of ecotourism development in the region and identify how the existing opportunities can be harnessed to attain increased socio-economic development among member states.