Geographic Description

Located just off the coast of southern Africa, Madagascar is an island nation that is renowned for its diverse flora and fauna. Madagascar has 5% of the world’s plant and animal species, 80% of which are endemic (Pawliczek & Mehta, 2008).

Tourism Policy Environment

The government of Madagascar developed a Tourism Master Plan in 2002. The Master Plan stresses the need to harmonise tourism development with poverty reduction, sustainable development and local economic benefits.

Tourism is also highlighted in the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP) of 2006, the guiding document for development in the country. Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is highlighted as a priority economic sector. The government will “intensively promote and develop” tourism by:

• Attracting high quality investors through the provision of incentives, access to land, and general support;
• Promoting the destination “Madagascar” as a superior and unique eco-tourism destination;
• Supporting management development and professionalism of the tourist sector; and
• Improving the range of tourism products and services (Government of Madagascar, 2007).

As tourism continues to grow in Madagascar, it is important to ensure that the sector is developed responsibly and in ways that benefit poor households and marginalised communities. At the same time, tourism growth development must also contribute tangibly to the conservation of Madagascar’s internationally-renowned biodiversity and seek to minimise negative impacts on natural and cultural resources.

Policy level initiatives, although limited, demonstrate a commitment to sustainable tourism development in Madagascar.  However, the private sector and NGOs are to date the main drivers of sustainable tourism initiatives in Madagascar.

Certification / Award Programmes

Green-Label Madagascar, the only labelling initiative in Madagascar, certifies tourism products based on the following criteria:

• Existence of a sustainable policy ;
• Sustainability awareness raising ;
• Environmental management ;
• Water management ;
• Waste management ;
• Energy management ; and
• Socio-economic contributions.

In 2008, four products were certified. The development of this labelling initiative will hopefully serve to reduce the prevalence of greenwashing and protect Madagascar’s invaluable environment.

Groupement Des Operateurs Du Tourisme De Madagascar (Go To Madagascar) is a private sector membership association created in 2002 whose objectives are:

• To defend the interests of the tourism sector in Madagascar;
• To develop a quality label for tourism; and
• To uphold the association’s code of ethics.

Go To Madagascar brings together the country’s top tourism professionals, all of whom are committed to tourism development in the country.  Go To Madagascar’s members include hotels, restaurants, air transportation, car hire, tour operators and travel agents. Members bring forward their technical, intellectual and financial commitment to the association and, in turn, jointly benefit though creating an economically favourable tourism environment; developing partnerships with other members; advocating for the sector’s interests; and offering a credible partnership structure for funding agencies.

Over the past few years, Go To Madagascar has developed a number of publications and training materials, in partnership with international donors, e.g. GTZ, intended to raise awareness about sustainable tourism amongst the tourism private sector in Madagascar. From 2009, a new dedicated department within Go To Madagascar will be tasked with implementing concrete projects – including but not limited to the introduction of a voluntary certification programme for members.

Go To Madagascar and Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) will be piloting a Fair Trade in Tourism certification project in Madagascar beginning in 2009. The Fair Trade Madagascar project will be managed by Go To Madagascar, initially focusing on Go To members, before it is made available to other tourism businesses. This will be an excellent opportunity to broaden Madagascar’s sustainable tourism approach, which as of now, focuses exclusively on eco-tourism. If Madagascar relies on international hotel chains for tourism development, it passes up the opportunity to develop local tourism and reduce economic leakages – both of which are foci of Fair Trade in Tourism.

TFCAs

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