Within the framework of the Regional Project on “Sustainable Development of Tourism in a Network of Cross-Border National Parks and Protected Areas” and under SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), successfully organised an online Workshop on “Developing Sustainable Ecotourism in West African OIC Member Countries”.

The workshop brought together 63 experts from relevant international and national institutions, benefiting experts and executives from tourism ministries and authorities of 10 OIC West African member countries participating in the Regional Project. The aim of the workshop was to exchange ideas and explore solutions to the challenges of ecotourism in cross-border parks and protected areas in the West African region.

The workshop featured presentations by experts from UN Tourism, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), DISTED College of Malaysia, the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks of Türkiye, and the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency of Türkiye.

Key topics covered during the 2-day workshop included:

• National and international institutions’ vision of ecotourism;
• Nature conservation efforts in West Africa;
• The plans to tackle climate change, plastic pollution, and food waste in the tourism sector;
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for sustainable tourism;
• Best practices of OIC member countries in protecting and promoting environmental tourism:
  • Infrastructure and services for the development of sustainable ecotourism in Malaysia
  • Sustainability and ecotourism conservation in Türkiye
• The challenges and opportunities facing West African OIC member countries for developing sustainable ecotourism.

The presentations of the workshop are available here.

For more information about SESRIC Capacity Building Programmes, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/cbp-oic-tourism.php.

Document

• Concept Note (English) (French)

Photos