Background – Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. More than 60 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line. The country’s most important products are gas, minerals and soya. However, each of these three sectors generates few jobs. Not so with tourism, which lies in fourth place. Each year, around 500,000 tourists visit the most naturally beautiful country in the Andes. This has generated around 60,000 full-time jobs and contributed 3.2 per cent of the gross domestic product. And yet, tourism has not been realizing its economic potential. It could provide so many women and men in Bolivia with a way out of poverty, in particular in the mountainous regions, where the indigenous population would also benefit.  

Project – Thanks to the advice and further education provided by Swisscontact, local small businesses in the mountainous regions of Bolivia have been able to create four new tourist regions. These have, for example, joined forces to market themselves collectively, and have developed special offers for tourist groups or short-stay travellers. This enables them to attract even more visitors. Hundreds of new jobs (around 350 in 2008 alone) have been created in hotels, restaurants and nature parks, In recent years, Swisscontact has developed lessons, which, to take a few examples, have been training guides, hotel workers and cooks. One aim of this project is to motivate residents in these particular regions, in particular women and indigenous people, to attend these courses and, afterwards, to work in the tourist industry. If their families are included, more than 1’200 people are now enjoying the benefits of these new opportunities. The tourism packages being offered are sustainable, as they are sensitive to nature and the lifestyle of the local population. The resulting jobs are offering the indigenous people a more sensible alternative to simply wandering off into a city. In this way, the inhabitants will be keeping the resulting benefits for their own home region, and will thus be helping to reduce local poverty.