Belmopan (22nd June 2020). The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA), the Ministry of Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development (MFFSD), and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) on June 22nd, 2020 signed a first of kind tri-partied Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in the planning, resource mobilization, development and promotion of Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas. As a part of this MOU, the Parties will develop
National Guidelines for Tourism Development in Protected Areas, including minimum requirements for tourism concessions, and the development of an eco-label certification program for tourism providers in protected areas.
As tourism looks towards a re-opening in the POST-COVID-19 era, the National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan and National Tourism Policy has prioritized the development of new nature-based destinations for tourism expansion. Similarly, the MFFSD, through its National Biodiversity Office, and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, as per the National Protected Areas System Plan and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, continue to work towards establishing new approaches to support the sustainable development and financing of protected areas. In mobilization of this MOU, the parties will be carrying out joint consultations with protected areas and tourism stakeholders in the near future for the development of the first deliverable, being National Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism Development in Protected Areas.
