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About
Summary:
As part of the Coastal Resilience and Sustainable Tourism Investment Project (WACA+), Acorn Tourism Consulting was commissioned to design and support the implementation of an International Visitor Survey (IVS) in São Tomé and Príncipe.
The assignment focuses on strengthening national capacity to collect, manage, analyse, publish, and reuse tourism data in line with international best practice. The project supports evidence-based decision-making for sustainable tourism development, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth.
Our Approach:
Acorn delivered a practical, capacity-led approach, combining technical expertise with hands-on training and locally appropriate tools.
Key elements included:
- Institutional and Capacity Assessment: Review of existing IVS tools and a high-level assessment of DGTH and Central Bank capacity, identifying gaps in skills, systems, coordination, and resources.
- IVS Methodology and Deployment Support: Revision of the IVS questionnaire and methodology in line with UN Tourism standards, adapted to São Tomé and Príncipe’s market realities.
- Practical Training and Data Analysis: On-site workshops covering data cleaning, processing, tabulation, analysis, and visualisation, using accessible tools such as Excel and T-Stats where appropriate.
- Data Publication and Communication: Development of a clear action plan for publishing and disseminating IVS results, including guidance on formats, schedules, online channels, and stakeholder communication.
- Sustainability and Replicability: Step-by-step manuals, templates, and reporting models to ensure DGTH can independently repeat the IVS and update results in future years.
Outcomes:
- Improved national capacity to manage tourism data independently
- Stronger coordination between tourism and statistical institutions
- Reliable visitor data to support sustainable tourism policy and investment
- Clear foundations for ongoing monitoring of tourism growth and resilience
- Practical tools that remain with DGTH beyond the project lifecycle
Directions
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