CAF pledges to promote tourism in Bolivia

One of these initiatives aims at providing the State with funds to underpin various projects for recovery of tourism in Salar de Uyuni and Lagunas de Colores, including:

1) Laying the foundations for tourism development: starting with hotel and tourism infrastructure projects,

2) Supporting the expansion of tourism services: through training activities for stakeholders involved in the management of local tourism-related businesses.

3) Tourism promotion: includes national and international market studies, as well as promotional and marketing actions.

CAF has financed the integration of Bolivia’s main tourist destination, Salar de Uyuni, into the fundamental road network through the following highways: Potosí-Uyuni, Uyuni Huancarani - Cruce Condo K and Uyuni - Tupiza, which has cut cargo and passenger transport time between La Paz, Oruro, Uyuni, Tupiza and Villazón, thus improving connectivity in the north-south-west axis. The works total 535 km paved, fitted with road safety measures and high-quality road specifications, validated by European entities such as LAIF. All roads have technical and social variants that prevent accidents in the towns they cross.

Furthermore, CAF has approved funds to support connectivity to tourist spots in the nation through road infrastructure projects. A case in point is the completion of the Construction of the Kilometer 25-Tarata-Anzaldo-Rio Caine Highway project, recently inaugurated in September of this year, in the anniversary of the department of Cochabamba. This 70-kilometer route beginning at the junction of kilometer 25 of the F-7 Fundamental Network and ending at the Caine River, departmental boundary between Cochabamba and Potosí, is the beginning of a broad project that will give continuity to the Sucre–Poroma and Poroma–Toro Toro highway. The project is expected to boost tourism in that part of the country.  

Noteworthy is that CAF approved funds for non-reimbursable technical cooperation, in favor of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Industry, Services, Commerce and Tourism (CAINCO), to promote the rethinking of Bolivian MSMEs for the new socioeconomic context caused by Covid-19. This project has a sectoral approach, with the following sectors prioritized: the restaurant sector, hospitality and travel agencies, since these have been strongly affected by distancing restrictions. In this connection, a “Digital Transformation Program for Companies in the Tourism Sector” has been successfully developed this year, with 157 companies enrolled in the following areas: travel agencies, restaurants and hotels. This program includes diagnostics and support activities in the implementation of action plans to assist companies in their digital transition, by mapping digital solutions. Similarly, CAF’s project with CAINCO called for a “reverse pitch,” i.e. an event to capture innovative solutions to challenges identified in the three areas involved in the project. Lastly, thanks to this project, training and advice has been provided to 100 companies in the tourism sector to adapt their facilities to the new biosecurity standards that were introduced in the wake of the pandemic.

Also, as of 2022, CAF is part of the Advisory Committee of the Bolivian Observatory for the Sustainable Tourism Industry (ORBITA), which is part of the project “Tourism as an driver of inclusive gender and sustainable development in Bolivia,” launched under a partnership between the Bolivia Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the Social Entrepreneurship Innovation Foundation (IES) and the Canada International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada). This committee encompasses other stakeholders in the nation’s tourism ecosystem, both from the public and private sectors. Similarly, this committee seeks, among other goals, to promote the establishment of partnerships with the legally established tourism sector, to support its recovery and growth, as well as to inform public policies and guide public and private investment that fosters women’s economic empowerment, gender equality and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

CAF’s commitment is to continue providing support to Bolivia, by funding initiatives that advance the integration of tourist routes and the strengthening and innovation within the tourism sector, with the purpose of helping them become over time an additional driver of Bolivia’s economic growth.