Tourism Foundation in the UK

External grants programme is now open and inviting applications.

 Eligibility Criteria: Criteria for projects – projects must meet all criteria below:

1. Relevance to UK outbound tour operators : The Travel Foundation will only consider funding applications for projects focusing on one or more of  the following countries:

• Wider Mediterranean – including Turkey, Cyprus, North Africa, Canaries & Balearics

• Caribbean – including Mexico

• Africa – Kenya, Cape Verde and South Africa

• Asia – Thailand

Within these countries, the project must focus on a region where there is significant UK tour operator presence i.e. the region must receive ‘package’ holiday or charter flight visitors from at least one major UK tour operator.

2. Project management The project should demonstrate relevant capacity, experience and expertise within or available to delivery team, including financial management, budgeting and reporting, and monitoring and evaluation.

3. Livelihoods themes: The project should focus on one or more of the following:

• New product development, product diversification or value-added products for the tourism market

• Development or improvement of attractions or excursions relevant to package tourism

• Maintaining or enhancing local traditions through tourism-related, cultural activities

• Working with tourism businesses to increase local economic benefits through their supply  chain

• Increasing market access for local producers through working with intermediaries / wholesalers

4. Opportunity to engage the UK outbound travel industry : The project should provide an opportunity to engage the UK outbound tourism industry or their  suppliers in development and implementation. For example, a new excursion or product for UK customers, a training course for suppliers. Partnerships with the UK industry do not need to be already established but there must be a good potential for engagement.

5. Monitoring & evaluation: The project should have a specific objective and deliver practical, measurable outputs.  The project should include monitoring and evaluation, using relevant baseline data collected as part of the  project, and should provide demonstrable results against a minimum of THREE of the following indicators:

• Economic:  increased income or increased value of sales

• Market access:  improvements in capacity to sell e.g. increased production or  increase in  business interest

• Asset spend: increase in proportion of income spend on asset of choice (as defined by the beneficiary)

• Skills development: training delivered or evidence of income generation from acquisition of new skills

• Social outcomes: positive change in well-being e.g. increase in self-esteem, respect, pride, empowerment

• Maintaining traditions: gaining value from maintaining traditional activities

• Customer experience: increased customer satisfaction

6. Multi-stakeholder focus : The project should engage all relevant stakeholder groups i.e. communities, government, industry bodies, etc., in the development and implementation process and where possible demonstrate how it contributes to destinations’ policies, plans etc.

7.  Scale of impact : The project should have the potential for a broader application or impact, beyond the scope of the  project itself (e.g. a training manual that could be used in other destinations).

8. Long term sustainability : The project should have a clear strategy for long-term, sustainability (including financial), and  demonstrate how it could be sustained and managed beyond Travel Foundation funding.

9. Value for money: The proposed budget should be realistic and demonstrate value for money in terms of impact. The maximum funds requested from Travel Foundation (for a one year project) should not exceed  £60,000 UK pounds sterling.  Projects with a duration of more than a year should be phased into 12 month periods that would have merit on their own if necessary.

Exclusions

The Travel Foundation cannot provide funding for:

o Students or organisations for personal study, travel or expeditions

o General appeals

o Work that has already been completed

For further information

http://www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/news/grant_applications_now_open/