Sustainable tourism can be a pillar for economic development in developing countries. In Madagascar, various zones have identified sustainable tourism as a key factor for economic growth and social inclusion, among which the Region of Vakinankaratra. In the context of its decentralized cooperation with the Regional Authority of Auvergne (France), a multi-form seminar will be organized by the UNCTAD programmes TrainForTrade and e-Tourism Initiative on the topic "Sustainable Tourism for Development".

The course will tend to foster the development of sustainable tourism in the region. It will address two themes: the importance of civil society and the positive externalities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in sustainable tourism growth. Participants coming from regional tourism bodies, relevant national Ministries, tourism business sector and civil society will deepen their expertise in sustainable tourism by assessing the role of civil society in tourism development and identifying the potential of ICT in the definition and implementation of a plan of actions for sustainable tourism.

Following the innovative principles adopted by TrainForTrade in terms of learning methods, the three modules of the course will be delivered in two phases: from 14 to 25 May, the module 1 on "Introduction to Sustainable Tourism" will be given in Distance Learning; from 4 to 8 June, modules 2 and 3 on "The role of civil society in sustainable tourism" and "Electronic Tourism" will be delivered in their face-to-face version. A half-day case study on "The participation of civil society in sustainable tourism projects for development" will be part of the seminar as well.

This activity is the first collaboration of this kind between the Regional Authority of Auvergne, UNCTAD and the Region of Vakinankaratra. A similar pilot activity had been led in an other Madagascan region (Toamasina - Tamatave) in October 2006 with the support of the Regional Authority of Rhône-Alpes (France).