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Timor-Leste Tourism Barometer 2018
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Timor-Leste Tourism Barometer 2018

First Timor-Leste Tourism Barometer (July 2018) by The Asia Foundation and Destination Human Capital, analysing tourism supply, demand and partnerships.

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The Timor-Leste Tourism Barometer 2018 is the first edition of a situational analysis of the tourism sector. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism, produced by The Asia Foundation with Destination Human Capital, and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It was completed in June 2018 and published in July 2018. It sets a benchmark for measuring progress against the 2017 National Tourism Policy and was meant to guide the incoming 8th Constitutional Government’s tourism strategy and action plan. A four-page summary was also published.

Key contents

  • Policy vision: summarises the National Tourism Policy, Growing Tourism to 2030 (approved March 2017). It has five themes and 2030 goals of 200,000 international tourists a year, US$150 million in revenue and 15,000 direct jobs.
  • Destination brand: Explore the Undiscovered, developed in 2016 by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture with the private sector and adopted by the Council of Ministers on 11 July 2017.
  • Tourism supply: accessibility, accommodation, attractions and activities, amenities and awareness. Accessibility is named as one of the greatest challenges. The analysis finds that Dili’s airport (one 1,850 m runway) could handle about 766,500 passengers a year, well above ADB’s forecast of about 400,000 by 2030. Most aviation constraints could therefore be fixed in the short term without major runway investment.
  • Tourism demand: draws on The Asia Foundation’s 2017 Survey of Travelers, and notes the lack of reliable tourism statistics.
  • Partnerships and institutions: public-private arrangements, including the idea of a Tourism Authority of Timor-Leste or similar body. Consultations were held with the 7th and 8th Constitutional Governments, and two tourism symposia took place in October 2017.
  • Outlook and analysis: global and regional market outlook, plus a strengths, opportunities, constraints and risks assessment. The Barometer is meant to be updated annually as a living document.

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