In 2007, members of the Tanzanian tourism industry got together to found a non-profit, non-governmental organization that would work to promote an ‘eco-tourism’ model in Tanzania. Each founding member has a long history within the tourism industry and realized many tourism enterprises wanted to become ‘eco-friendly’ and engage in community development projects as part of their corporate responsibility. The only problem was that these companies did not have the knowledge or ability to start these projects themselves.
The tourism industry is a natural partner for local community development as they allow communities to benefit financially and sustainably from their natural resources. These communities, however, do not have the capacity to fully benefit from contracts made with the private sector because of managerial and governmental issues.
Noticing these problems, the founders realized that there was a need for an institution to bridge the gap between local communities and the tourism industry in order for both parties to fully benefit economically from tourism. Soon the Honeyguide Foundation was formed; an organization dedicated to the creation of long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships among Tanzanian communities and tourism in order to conserve wildlife and natural habitat. Since its founding, the Honeyguide Foundation has been successful in using innovative approaches to help communities face 21st century challenges. This has helped create an environment favorable to wildlife conservation, which is positive for the tourism industry, and economic development, which is beneficial to local communities.
