Mainstreaming biodiversity-based tourism in Thailand to support sustainable tourism development To mainstream biodiversity conservation into tourism development and operations at national and local levels through policy integration and development of an integrated model for biodiversity-based tourism. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. Overall, the project will provide direct benefits to at least 5,230 people, of which 2,470 are women. This number consists of a) At least 700 (390 women) living in the demonstration landscape; 3,150 (1,760 women) private sector personnel (both formal and community based); and 1,380 (320 women) government officials at national, provincial and district levels. These figures are provided for GEF Core Indicator 11 (see also the Results Framework, Annex A).     The project will target delivery of the following socio-economic benefits to the rural communities living in the demonstration landscape:     Under Output 2.3, activities will be supported that benefit local people, support local economic development, and help local people to benefit from diversified environmentally responsible livelihoods. The engagement process will ensure that project activities will have FPIC beforehand. These activities and products will be supported by one or more local NGOs and training providers contracted by the project. Indicative activities under this output that will benefit people include:    · Establish MoUs with, and/or allocate project resources to, one or more local NGOs to provide technical support to biodiversity-based tourism enterprises in the project landscape.  · Establish FPIC with communities and community-based enterprises targeted for support under the project, through participatory and objective processes in line with UNDP and GEF social and environmental safeguards standards.   · Confirm and validate proposed biodiversity-based activities and products with the Provincial Project Working Group and local communities in the three project sites (i.e. Kui Buri National Park, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park and Pran Buri Estuary).   · In collaboration with qualified local training providers, develop a comprehensive knowledge, skills and training package on biodiversity-based tourism (may include business management, financial literacy and product design) for community members in project sites. Include curriculum and support training for local guides storytelling around important local conservation issues and the importance of gender equity in tourism.   · The project will finance equipment and/or information technology required to improve the quality of the biodiversity-based tourism enterprises.  · Provide technical support to communities to establish and support biodiversity-based tourism enterprises through the Sirinart Rajini Ecosystem Learning Centre. Support will include: a) Technical support for feasibility studies, start-up business planning, and ongoing mentoring with the private sector and to write proposals for small grants. b) Share guidance, criteria and protocols for the establishment and operation of sustainable biodiversity-based tourism initiatives and standards developed under Component 1.   · Support biodiversity-based tourism enterprises (both community-based and formal tourism sector) to apply sustainable tourism standards that include biodiversity criteria and to apply for the Thailand Tourism Award (or Kinaree) to incentivize and showcase sustainable tourism practices     Table  SEQ Table \* ARABIC 1: Indicative types of sustainable biodiversity-based tourism activities and projects to support        Location   Activities   Products        Kui Buri (Ban Ruam Thai and Ban Pa Mak)   Wildlife and birdwatching tours. Cultural tours, and visits to coffee and fruit plantations.    Coffee beans, handicraft (bamboo hammock).       Khao Sam Roi Yot    Boat safaris to lotus fields, kayaking in wetlands, firefly watching at night, birdwatching, fishing cat conservation, limestone caves. Tours into the national park. Educational tours of Fishing cat conservation and the Fishing Cat learning Centre   Homestay, camp site, stone carvings, dry fish. Thai desert made from reeds.         Pran Buri Estuary   Environmental awareness experiences in mangroves and in coffee and fruit plantations. Kayaking, mangrove trail hiking at Pran Buri Forest Park and Sirinart Ecosystem learning center. Boat tours into the wetlands. Visits to fishermen villages.   Local products from mangroves (e.g. natural dye cotton, pens from mangrove pods), local seafood products (e.g. swimming crab), camping site        Under Output 3.1, the project will establish and strengthen marketing channels to businesses and tourists for biodiversity-based tourism in viable originating international and domestic markets, including business linkages with tour operator packages and online systems. Indicative activities under this output that will benefit people will include:       Support biodiversity-based tourism products to register with OTAs that have the functionality to profile sustainable actors (e.g. Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda).  Integrate biodiversity-based tourism products and activities into local tour operator itineraries, by organizing familiarization trips for tour operators (i.e. members of the Tourism Association of Prachuap Khiri Khan, TRTA and TEATA) and major hotels in the project landscape (e.g. in Hua Hin, Pran Buri, Sam Roi Yot and Kui Buri), and by establishing Business to Business (B2B) agreements that integrate mentoring support.   Provide technical guidance, mentorship to develop and monetize virtual tours for biodiversity-based tourism products, allowing them to supply COVID-19 safe experiences while diversifying their revenue streams. Embed biodiversity conservation and climate change awareness messages within the virtual tours.   Establish an online virtual tour platform, to collect revenues from virtual experiences and allocate to biodiversity-based tourism products in the product landscape.   Support the TCC to integrate biodiversity-based tourism products and experiences into Tag Thai, providing criteria for biodiversity-based tourism, and develop content to promote products supported under Component 2.  Collaborate with TAT to include biodiversity-based tourism enterprise prominence on the cellphone app ‘Amazing Thailand,’ to improve market access of products supported under Component 2.     In addition to the above-mentioned direct beneficiaries, the project will provide wider benefits through supporting the development of the more environmentally sustainable form of tourism that biodiversity-based tourism represents. This should reduce the negative impacts of tourism on natural habitats, species and ecosystem services while providing sustainable benefits to local and national economies. Tourism is often regarded as a critical source of financing to support protected area management, and this project aims to build capacity for the two protected areas in the project landscape to capitalize on this potential, which will be reflected in improvements in related METT scorecard questions.