Contact
Headquarters
International Finance Corporation
2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20433 USA
Switchboard
(202) 473-1000
Background:
IFC-MPDF is a multi-donor funded initiative set up by the International Finance Corporation in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, to reduce poverty through sustainable private sector development. IFC-MPDF’s donors are the Asian Development Bank, Australia, Canada, European Union, Finland, IFC, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Tourism related programs:
The Tourism Program improves the sustainability of the rapidly emerging tourism sector in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. The Facility targets tourism because of its great importance to economies in the Mekong region and strong potential to grow. At the destination level, common issues include short lengths of stay and limited net benefits to local communities.
1. Stay another day Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam
Stay-another-day.org is an initiative by the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (IFC-MPDF), a multi-donor funded initiative set up by the International Finance Corporation in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, to reduce poverty through sustainable private sector development. The Stay Another Day booklet for Cambodia was published with support from German Technical Corporation (GTZ) Private Sector Promotion Program. For further information, visit www.stay-another-day.org.
2. The Nam Ha Eco Guide, Lao P.D.R
The Nam Ha Eco Guide Service, set up in 2000 in Luang Namtha Province with assistance from UNESCO and the Lao National Tourism Administration, offers community-based ecotours that include forest trekking, river trips and village homestays.
All our tours are led by certified guides from Luang Namtha. This provides employment and alternative livelihoods for local people and encourages them to protect their cultural heritage and environmental assets. The tours also raise funds for environmental conservation. Our guides are local men and women with knowledge of and respect for the natural environment and the cultural traditions of the area. Our roster of rotating guides allows a large number of people to work as guides, but also time off to work at traditional activities such as rice farming.
For further details, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Nam_Ha_Guides/introduction
3. Cheung Kok Ecotourism Village – AMICA
Cheung Kok Ecotourism Village is a ‘must-see’ for tourists traveling through Kampong Cham. Developed with support from AMICA (Assistance Médiation Internationale pour le Cambodge), visitors can see and take part in how villagers process palm sugar and weave multi-use scarves called ‘krama’ that are an integral part of Khmer identity.
For further details, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Cheung_Kok_Ecotourism_Village_-_AMICA/introduction
4. Xe Pian National Protected Area (NPA)
Xe Pian National Protected Area (NPA) spans 240,000 hectares across the Champassak and Attapeu Provinces on the southern tip of Laos. This hilly lowland and extensive flatland habitat is a mosaic of rivers and wetlands, semi-evergreen and mixed deciduous forests. At least 25 endangered mammal species and a number of rare bird species like the Woolly-necked Stork are found in Xe Pian NPA. For further details, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Xe_Pian_Ecotourism_project/introduction
5. Chambok Community-based Ecotourism Site
The Chambok Community-based Ecotourism site, located near Kirirom National Park in Kompong Speu province, is a place for true nature lovers. Chambok was initiated in 2002 by the local environment organization Mlup Baitong to address deforestation and improve the livelihoods of villagers who depend on the forests to make a living.
Community education programs show villagers the benefits of protecting the forests for future generations and the site now serves as a model for best practices in community-based ecotourism in Cambodia with ecotourism activities providing villagers with alternative income. Trained local guides are available and all revenues from tourism stay in the community and help them to protect the forest and manage it in a sustainable way.
For further information, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Chambok_Community-based_Ecotourism_Site/introduction
6. The Khammouane Eco Guide
The Khammouane Eco Guide Service operates locally guided ecotours to Khammouane's attractions. Tours are led by trained villagers who provide information in English, Lao and Thai on the area's wildlife, history, culture and other attractions. The Service opened in early 2005 after training 20 guides from Thakek town and 15 guides from villages in Khammouane.
For further information, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Khammouane_Guides/introduction
7. The Savannakhet Eco Guide
The Savannakhet Eco Guide Unit is an independent organization for trained ecotourism guides. Our goal is to manage and promote trekking trails in the protected areas of Savannakhet.
Savannakhet Province contains two National Protected Areas (NPAs) - Dong Phu Vieng and Phu Xang Hae, as well as a Provincial Protected Area (PPA) called Dong Natat. Realizing the potential for eco-tourism in these protected areas, we set up a program that emphasizes community participation and the sharing of financial benefits with as many people as possible. To help achieve these goals, the Savannakhet Provincial Tourism Office set up the Savannakhet Eco Guide Unit to play a key role in expanding ecotourism, while also guarding against negative social, cultural and environmental impacts.
For further information, visit www.stay-another-day.org/project/Savannakhet_Guides/introduction
World hotel link
www.whl.travel, a worldwide network of websites incubated by IFC-MPDF that allows smaller accommodation providers to market themselves on the internet and promote local projects that ‘care for the destination’.
WHL is committed to promoting and supporting the development of sustainable tourism by encouraging all WHL partners (our franchisees) to proactively seek out, list and promote those accommodation and other travel service providers undertaking initiatives which support sustainable tourism objectives.
For more information, visit www.whl.travel/sustainable_tourism