GREEN TOUR

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SDGs: Goal 1: No poverty, Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth, Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities, Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Circular Economy Dimensions: Innovation: Consumption Patterns / Lifestyle, Lifecycle Stages: End of Life, Enablers: Education & Behavioural Change

Replicating tourism industry sustainability best practices into the Kyrgyzstan and wider Central Asian tourism supply chain through an integrated business led approach.

The Challenge

The tourism sector in Kyrgyzstan faces numerous challenges, including the lack of supply chain and logistics facilities, poorly developed infrastructures, low standard services for tourists, among others. GREENTOUR responds to the objectives of the Kyrgyz government to advance a greener and more sustainable tourism in Kyrgyzstan, involving communities, and diversifying tourism products in order to attract new target groups and clients. While the term “sustainable tourism” is still not widely known and used in the region, terms such as “nature tourism”, “responsible tourism”, and “green tourism” are increasingly being used, indicating the growing awareness of the need to switch to tourism models that will have less negative impacts on the environment, natural resources and local communities’ livelihoods.

The Objectives

Integrates green services and products in the tourism supply chain; develops waste management approach for hotels, restaurants and destinations, in particular for food waste and plastics reduction standards. Fosters the creation of new financial schemes and promotes access to finance for MSMEs. The specific objectives include:

Improve capacity of travel associations to provide CSR advisory services;
Integrate SCP practices, green services and products within tour operators supply chain;
Support 20+ MSMEs to access green finance;
Integrate SCP principles in Kyrgyz and Central Asian Policies.

The Way Forward

Improved capacity of travel associations to provide CSR advisory services;
Kyrgyzstan tour operators and supply chain integrate SCP practices;
Green financing scheme created to support more than 20 MSMEs;
Increased number of green services and products enter the supply chain;
SCP mainstreamed in Kyrgyz and Central Asian policies.

Relation to European Green Deal, Circular Economy and Climate Change

The project promotes inclusive sustainable growth, contributes to the economic prosperity and poverty reduction in Kyrgyzstan, the development of a green economy and the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy. These objectives will be reached by:

Adopting sustainable production and consumption practices among MSMEs promoting less polluting and more resource efficient products, processes and services in the Kyrgyz tourism sector;
Replicating previously demonstrated SCP practices throughout the supply chain of tourism MSMEs in a business-led approach and increasing access to green financing;
Promoting SCP practices in the tourism sector at national scale by building the capacity of KATO / MICT;
Complementing and interacting with existing grant projects the action supports the overall effectiveness, sustainability and impact of the program;
Increasing awareness on SCP in the tourism sector, distilling knowledge from the project for replication in the Asian region;
Promoting the economic value of SCP in the tourism sector interaction between MSMEs and finance institutions is facilitated;
Supporting existing regional fora on tourism and SCP enhancing policy dialogue in Asia;
Addressing sustainable supply chain management and facilitating the integration of MSMEs into the tourism supply chain through sustainability reporting, labelling and certification;
Supporting sustainable consumption and consumer awareness on SCP specifically for tourists and international tourism agencies in Kyrgyzstan.

The tourism sector is a SWITCH-Asia Kyrgyzstan and 10YFP priority. By transforming comprehensive supply chains, a wide range of MSMEs in the tourism sector will be targeted covering several Kyrgyz SCP priorities including Agri-food processing, energy, waste management, green trade. As a subtheme the action will promote child rights, gender awareness and waste management (e.g. plastics) among tourism MSMEs and local communities. As part of the consumer awareness activities, visibility of the action will reach among a wide audience of stakeholders, MSME’s and consumers through e.g. social and mass media channels.