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U.P PRO POOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR PREPERATION OF

INTEGRATED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR AGRA

Ref No.: 017/Pro-Poor/UPT/CS/2016

DIRECTOR GENERAL TOURISM

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, GOVERNMENT OF UTTAR PRADESH

4TH FLOOR, PARYATAN BHAWAN, C-13, VIPIN KHAND, GOMTI NAGAR,

LUCKNOW-226010, UTTAR PRADESH

TEL NO: 0522 - 2307037

FAX NO: 0522 - 2308937

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Terms of Reference INTEGRATED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR AGRA

January 2016

I. Background India is well positioned to take advantage of the dynamism of tourism as a potential driver for inclusive growth in asset-rich but low-income areas. India possesses some of the greatest wealth in tangible and intangible assets in the world, including archaeological, historical, religious, natural and cultural resourcesi with unrivaled tourism potential. The country attracted about 7 million international and an estimated 750 million domestic/regional tourists and pilgrims in 2013, contributing a total of over US$100 billion to the Indian economy, or 6.6 percent of its GDPii. The country is ranked 12th in the world out of 184 countries in terms of total size of contribution to GDP and is fourth in long-term growth forecastsiii. The sector is experiencing a period of strong growth driven by India’s burgeoning middle class, open skies and low cost airlines, new product development and robust promotional initiatives by the government.

Despite its growth and high-level policy directions, up to now, India has been unable to harness the power of the tourism sector to achieve the goals of inclusive growth and poverty reduction. The economic benefits from tourism have unevenly trickled down to local communities or to the assets and locations that draw millions of visitors and pilgrims in the first place. In certain regions, such as the Buddhist Circuit destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the majority of earnings from tourism have been captured by airlines, travel agencies and tour operatorsiv, most located outside the heritage-rich tourism destinations to which they direct their clients and from which they profit. At the broader level, the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2013 ranked India 65th out of 140 countries on overall tourism competitiveness despite being ranked 21st in terms of touristic resources. India’s tourism, in spite of its assets, only ranked 41st globally in terms of international arrivals and 54th in terms of expenditure per visitorv. The state of Uttar Pradesh best exemplifies this paradox.

Uttar Pradesh—India’s biggest cultural and tourist destination, containing some of the country’s most iconic assets and annually hosting millions of devotees and visitors—remains one of India’s low-income states. Uttar Pradesh (UP) is India’s fourth largest and most populous state with over 199 million inhabitantsvi, and is home to the emblematic Taj Mahal, to one of the most ancient living cities in the world—Varanasi—located on the banks of the sacred Ganges, and to two of the world’s four most important Buddhist sites—Sarnath and Kushinagar, all visited by millions annually. In 2013, the state attracted 226 million domestic and just over 2 million international visitorsvii, who contributed a total of USD 6 billion to the UP economyviii. Despite this unique endowment, UP remains India’s third poorest state, with a 37.7 percent poverty rateix. UP also lags behind most Indian states across a number of human development indicators, such as literacy and infant mortality. The state’s literacy rate is lower than that of the entire country. When disaggregated by gender, men’s literacy rate is much higher at 79.2 percent compared to 59.2 for women. Equally troublesome is the adverse sex ratio in the state: 904 females to 1,000 boys.x

Ground-level data indicates that Agra, the Braj region and the Buddhist Circuit, which are some of the prime tourist destinations of India and UP with some of the greatest wealth of its heritage assets, have also high poverty rates. For instance, its most iconic heritage asset and India’s primary tourism attraction, the Taj Mahal in Agra, is surrounded by more than 20 slums with crumbling infrastructure and services. In certain wards of Sarnath, one of the most significant sites of the Buddhist Circuit, 100 percent of households are living below the poverty line. Mathura, the largest city and pilgrimage attraction of the Braj region, lacks the most basic urban infrastructure and services, condemning residents to extremely low living standards, with up to 28 percent of households living below the poverty line in some areasxi.

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It is now recognized that tourism must be developed and managed in a controlled, integrated and sustainable manner, based on sound planning, in order to generate lasting socioeconomic and ecological benefits to a destination. There are numerous examples in the world where tourism has not been well planned and managed, leading to uncontrolled development, degradation or destruction of tourism resources – and the market itself. Over time, these have resulted in environmental and social problems and poor quality destinations which have shown to be detrimental not only to tourists, but mostly to the residents.

Many unplanned destinations, which have lost their market to other better planned and managed destinations, are now undergoing redevelopment. Emphasis is being placed on an integrated approach, balancing economic vibrancy, environmental sustainability and socio-cultural inclusion factors, as a means to achieve lasting benefits through tourism. The application of such sound “sustainable tourism planning” has provided the basis for destinations to achieve more successful tourism development outcomes with the necessary policies, physical and institutional structures and standards in place.

But ineffective approaches and practices are inhibiting UP’s tourist destinations from leveraging their unique cultural and natural assets as endogenous sources of inclusive growth and poverty reduction through pro-poor tourism development. This is due to:

(a) A lack of a shared vision and consensual strategy among stakeholders for the coordinated development and promotion of asset-rich destinations, leaving many touristic areas to degradation:

i. Investments and related product development often respond to the demands of top-end foreign visitors, despite the fact that domestic and regional tourism segments represent the greater volume, with higher potential impact on the local economy and expected growth rate.

ii. Multiple, uncoordinated strategies across central, state and local government agencies and the private sector result in overlapping and/or conflicting interventions and investments, and ultimately no action.

iii. A monument-centric and fragmented approach to branding, promotion and investment efforts has isolated tourist attractions and sites from their wide context, threatening their integrity and attractiveness to tourists.

(b) Lack of adequate destination management and institutional capacity, threatening assets and local communities and reducing visitor satisfaction and retention:

(i) Weak planning and management of the destinations has led to their unregulated growth, resulting in exclusion of the poor from local economic development. Infrastructure services in the destinations are inadequate even for the current levels of population, let alone millions of additional visitors during peak tourist and pilgrimage seasons, leading to resentment amongst residents and minimal visitor satisfaction.

(ii) Limited institutional capacities, unclear role assignment among government agencies and uncoordinated development efforts in city development, tourism promotion and local economic development have led to inadequate protection, management and promotion of assets, and inadequate development of tourist products for various market segments.

(iii) Local authorities lack the appropriate tools and contemporary approaches for the stewardship of heritage assets for pro-poor tourism development purposes. A preference

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for “beautification” and “modernization” schemes that further isolate tourist attractions and historic areas and the poorest populations put them at even greater risk.

(c) Ineffective and non-participatory policy approaches which exclude communities from the benefits of tourism:

(i) A lack of multi-stakeholder engagement in tourism sector development and largely non-participatory, “expert”-led resource allocation results in a disconnect between planning and the reality on the ground and a lack of local ownership, thus reducing investment implementation effectiveness and preventing adequate operation and maintenance of investments.

(ii) Limited engagement in public-private partnerships and co-management schemes with surrounding communities and the private sector, as well as a complex business and investment climate leads to a lack of relevance, poor market connectivity, generally poor service standards and no leveraging with private investors.

(iii) A lack of formal and decentralized sources of revenues hinders the proper management and conservation of cultural and natural assets and the broad sharing of tourism benefits at the local level.

This reality shows that not only has the potential of tourism as a driver of inclusive and sustainable growth not been leveraged, but the current tourism model isolates local communities from economic development and puts globally recognized cultural and natural assets at severe risk of neglect and degradation. Moreover, the majority of current government interventions in the tourism sector, with their focus on large-scale infrastructure investments (e.g., the creation of a ring road providing direct access to the Taj Mahal, bypassing all other attractions and communities), have the potential to aggravate the situation. This demonstrates the need for a new approach to tourism planning and management, without which the negative impacts on assets and communities may quickly become unmanageable, as seen in other destinations in the world. Acknowledging this reality, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has prioritized Agra, the Braj region and the Buddhist Circuit as drivers for the inclusive socioeconomic development of the state. It is a priority for the Uttar Pradesh authorities to better manage the state’s heritage assets in a way that delivers (i) inclusive economic growth through employment multipliers and income opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs, and (ii) improvements in multipurpose access infrastructure, public spaces and basic services utilized by both local communities and visitors. In this context, through its Department of Tourism, the state government requested World Bank support to help refine, promote and implement their pro-poor tourism vision. In response, the World Bank is supporting the Department of Tourism in preparing the Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project aimed to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities in targeted destinations. The project targets the State Government priority areas, including Agra; Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Gokul-Mahavan, Baldeo and Govardhan in the Braj region; and Varanasi-Sarnath, Kushinagar and Shravasti in the Buddhist Circuit. The project is expected to have far-reaching social, economic and environmental benefits at local, state and national levels. Its activities primarily target the local communities and entrepreneurs near some of the main tourist attractions in the Project selected destinations. These communities and entrepreneurs will benefit from better basic service, expanded economic opportunities, and a healthier ecological context. Project activities will also benefit both domestic and foreign tourists visiting each of selected destinations through an improved tourist experience, as well as the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Department of Tourism in their pro-poor tourism endeavors by testing new approaches while providing the tools and strengthening the capacity for the development

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of destination-level visions, planning and branding strategies in a more inclusive, coordinated and sustainable manner; and developing diverse tourist products better tailored to specific tourist segments and markets, together with related improvements in tourist infrastructure and local service provision. This is expected to be achieved through four groups of activities/components:

Component 1: Destination Planning and Governance aims to test new approaches and establish the institutional structures, policies and coordination mechanisms necessary for bringing together the public and private sectors and local communities for effective destination-level tourism planning and governance. Component 2: Tourist Products Development and Management aims enhance the tourist experience while simultaneously contributing to improving local living conditions and livelihood opportunities by transforming existing tourist “attractions” into tourist “products” that incorporate local communities both physically and economically. Component 3: Support to Local Economic Development aims to improve the linkages of those involved in the productive and creative economies with the tourism value chain in the Project target areas by providing advisory, technical assistance and financing for business development, production and marketing within the tourism value chain. Component 4: Project Management aims to provide the necessary technical, advisory and financial support for the adequate implementation, management and coordination of the Project.

This Terms of Reference is part of Component 1 activities and will inform the implementation of Components 2 and 3.

II. Consultancy Objectives and Desired Tourism Approach The main objective of this consultancy is to facilitate the formulation of a long-term (10-20 years) plan for Agra development as a sustainable and inclusive world class tourism destination. The Plan should include a shared vision, strategies, measures and practical actions which will guide short term steps for the 10-20 long term vision. It should stimulate a tourism approach and associated actions that strengthen government, entrepreneurs, residents and tourists interchange while using the identity and assets of the city as drivers of its prosperity.

The Plan should express the type of tourism Agra aspires to as well as the role of tourism in the city and its people’s wider development. To this end, the Plan should follow the principles of inclusion and sustainability which balance social, economic, environmental and cultural aspects. It will also be based on historical research on the evolving history of the city and its rich tangible and intangible heritage legacy. Some of the main attributes the Plan should include:

Tourism contributes to foster the distribution of benefits throughout Agra territory and among its community.

The development of tourism products and management of tourism activities are fully associated with the city overall management and integrated in a natural way into the life of its communities.

A social approach related to the capabilities and creative resources potentially derived from the current living conditions of the resident population in the area

A new relationship will be established between visitors and residents for mutually enriching experiences – acity wide offering with places and stories shared between the communities and visitors.

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A destination with diversified and four seasons products characterized by service excellence. Tangible and intangible culture linked to the surrounding cultural and natural landscape. Institutional cooperation and public-private agreements as key elements of effective

destination management.

III. Methodology

The consultancy will develop a full technical and financial proposal for the assignment. The Plan should be developed using a participatory approach to inclusive sustainable tourism development, based on the existing challenges and potential of the city, involving all relevant stakeholders, including private sector and shall outline the possible solutions and strategies. Environmental and social safeguards must be taken into due consideration as per the GoI, state government and World Bank safeguards guidelines. A preliminary analysis including population characterization and forecasting, economic dynamics, entrepreneurship ratios, local administration functions, quality of life conditions and environmental scenarios should be carried out as part of the assignment. The consultancy should apply methods and processes for inter alia:

1. Analysis of the social, economic and environmental scenarios of the destination in the short, medium and long term.

2. Analysis of the infrastructural, urban and services needs and requirements for the resident population which also benefit visitors.

3. Analysis of assets and attractions, patterns of visitation, mobility and safety aspects, value chains and other visitor economy related aspects;

4. Development of a shared vision, principles guiding actions and objectives including relevant stakeholders engagements and commitment;

5. Preparation of a short term action plan for priority actions to kick-start necessary dialogue, coordination and partnerships as well as changes for inclusive sustainable tourism development;

6. Preparation of city design reference tools/guidelines for the city's open public spaces and arterial street network aimed to enhance the appearance, safety, health and enjoyment of the city’s urban landscape not only for tourists but also for the improvement of the resident population quality of life;

7. Determination of the adequacy of infrastructure and basic services for the current resident population and for increasing numbers of domestic and international visitors.

8. Development of detailed proposals to be co-financed under the Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project and their projected social, economic and environmental impacts;

9. Establishment of community participation, institutional coordination, public private dialogue and partnership building (institutional framework) for destination management

10. Review of legislation, regulation and information systems, necessary for effective destination management.

Special attention should be given to the sociocultural, vulnerability and environmental aspects of tourism, including issues of participation of the poor in the tourism value chain, planning and management in the city, and the critical need for strategies to increase the participation of youth, women and other vulnerable groups, including:

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Identification of existing barriers for local communities to participate in tourism activities (lack of finance, credit, regulations, exclusion, limited capacity etc.) and recommendations on which actions and interventions have to be taken by various stakeholders to remove these barriers;

Opportunities to include the local communities (informal sector, men and women, disabled and other vulnerable populations) into the value chain through their involvement into in the maintenance, preservation and interpretation of the heritage assets.

Development of visitor experiences based in the current living conditions of the local population and to transform existing tourist “attractions” and “products” into “experiences” to be “shared” between visitors and locals.

IV. Expected Deliverables

The expected deliverables from the consultancy include: (i) An Inclusive Tourism Development Plan for Agra including inter alia:

A long term shared vision for Agra as a destination

A set of principles guiding action, programs and core actions

A proposal of types of tourism development areas according with their urban, economic and social characteristics, the nature and relevance of their attractions, monuments and assets, and the modalities of visitor “experiences” that they can provide

A proposal of the infrastructure, urban and services investments required for the progressive integration between the visitor and the resident community, taking into consideration Agra evolving history and setting

Defined institutional arrangements, roles and responsibilities, governance criteria (including public and private partnerships), indicative budget with source and regulations for coordinated destination management

A set of actions to ensure the coordinated development and promotion of the destination

Measures to stimulate public-private partnerships and co-management schemes with surrounding communities and the private sector,

Research and information system (definition of indicators and variables to monitor the process of change of to assist the management of the destination)

(ii) A set of standard or specialized city design guidelines and hierarchy of streetscape types and treatments based on historical research and both local population and visitor needs, including proposals for:

Integrating tourist attractions, monuments and sites among them and in their wide context

Linking visitors and local communities both physically, socially and economically

Retaining visitors in the city for overnight stays

Dispersing visitors/providing direct access of visitors to the local population living areas from the main tourist attractions through small-scale infrastructure investments

Developing new urban standards, procedures and implementation actions regarding signage (city orientation and tourism related), illumination (neighborhood, street, points of interest),street furniture, pedestrian amenities.

Developing safe walk ability schemes in selected areas of the city and as a tool to link attractions, monuments and sites with local communities and residents and to stimulate local entrepreneurship;redefining street network nature and hierarchy, greening and landscaping

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(iii) Complementary sectoral chapters/strategies for the city and its tourist products and areas, including:

A SWOT analysis of the area (SWOT) including environmental, social, economic, urban and political issues and concerns;

A summary of the implications of the overall tourism SWOT analysis;

A detailed analysis of the domestic and regional tourism segments;

A plan to increase visitor satisfaction and retention;

Actions to maintain the shared vision and consensual strategy among stakeholders;

Measures to clarify roles among government agencies and to build adequate destination management and institutional capacity;

Actions to stimulate local owners´ investments, to stimulate small entrepreneurship initiatives and to empower local communities;

An assessment of the current hospitality and interpretation development of the area and criteria for further enhancement as well as actions to increase service standards;

A proposal of a strategic visitor flow plan and management criteria;

A mobility and pedestrian safety plan;

Measures to adequate the development of tourist products to the various market segments;

A branding, promotion and marketing strategy;

Strategies for community involvement, entrepreneurship and private sector development;

An action plan to linking the poor in the tourism value chain.

V. Duration The duration of the contract is for a period 6 months from the date of signing of the Contract.

VI. Qualifications

A qualified consultancy firm comprising a multisectoral team of experts with proven experience in

inclusive and sustainable tourism development planning and carrying out similar assignment will work

in consultation with Department of Tourism, GoUP.

Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to

enhance their qualifications.

The team should meet the following minimum qualification:

Proven experience in successfully facilitating inclusive sustainable tourism development planning processes, destination planning and development;

Proven experience in latest thinking and practice in the domain of tourism planning is an asset;

Proven experience in leading multi-stakeholder collaboration, participatory techniques, coaching, networking, learning, alliance building and team building;

Team leader should have minimum 20 years’ experience in similar assignment and each team member should have minimum 10 years’ experience in each of the relevant domainsof the assignment (sustainable development, urban revitalization, environmental conservation, governance, gender equity, social inclusion, etc.);

Working experience with externally funded project e.g. World Bank, ADB etc. of similar nature

Experience with participatory approaches and inclusive sustainable tourism;

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Knowledge of India’s strategies for tourism development, poverty reduction, urban development, heritage management and environmental conservation is an advantage;

Familiarity with India’s sector policies and national policies, functioning of government/public sector, private sector organizations, including public private partnerships, cooperation with civil society is an advantage;

Excellent communication skills.

The agency should have minimum five years of work experience in similar assignments in at least two

different successfully completed projects.

The team will be evaluated on the basis of their qualifications and working experiences in these fields

of work on earlier successfully completed assignments. Investment capabilities will be assessed based

on the current business turnovers for the last 3 years and net worth computed.

VII. Confidentiality

All information, data and documents provided to the consultants by the client or developed by the consultants in the course of performing the services under this TOR shall be treated by the consultants as confidential and shall not be published or disclosed to any third party without the prior written approval of the client.

VIII. Intellectual property rights

All intellectual property rights of information, data, reports and others documents, images produced during the consultancy belong to the World Bank and Department of Tourism, GoUP.

IX. Submission of Proposals

The hardcopy of the Expression of interest should be in a single sealed envelope, clearly marked as

“EOI for INTEGRATED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR AGRA” under UP Pro Poor Tourism

Development Project" from<<Bidder Name>>”.

The envelope shall indicate the name and address of the bidder to enable the proposal to be returned

unopened in case it is declared "late.” It shall contain no interlineation or overwriting, except as

necessary to correct errors made by the bidder itself. Any such corrections must be initialed by the

person (or persons) who sign(s) the proposals. All pages of the proposal must be sequentially

numbered and shall be initialed by the Authorized Representative of the bidder.

The attention of interested agency is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines:

Selection and Employment of Consultants [under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants] by World Bank

Borrowers “Consultants Selection Guidelines of the World Bank dated January 2011” (“Consultant

Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. "The Guidelines are

available at www.worldbank.org/procure."

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost based System (QCBS) method

set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours i.e. 10.00 to 17.00

hours.

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X. Venue and Deadline for submission

a. Proposals must be received at the address specified below latest by and not later than 15:00 hours on 24-02-2016. at below mentioned address at below mentioned address:

Director General, Department of Tourism, U.P Pro Poor Tourism Development Project Govt. Of U.P., Paryatan Bhawan, C-13 (4th Floor), VipinKhand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow-

226010. E-mail aksrto@gmail.com, procurement.uptourism@gmail.com

b. Any proposal received by the Department of UP Tourism after the above deadline shall be rejected and returned unopened to the bidder.

c. The bids submitted by telex/telegram/ fax/ etc. shall not be considered. No correspondence will be entertained on this matter.

d. Department of UP Tourism shall not be responsible for any postal delay or non-receipt/ non-delivery of the documents. No further correspondence on the subject will be entertained.

e. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Document, the Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any Proposal and to annul the Selection Process and reject all Proposals, at any time without any liability or any obligation for such acceptance rejection or cancellation.

f. Department of UP Tourism reserves the right to modify and amend any of the above-stipulated condition/criterion depending upon project priorities vis-à-vis urgent commitments.

Information to be submitted along with EOI

Submission Requirements

1. Organizational: Provide a brief description of the background and organization of your

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agency/entity. The brief description should include ownership details, date and place of incorporation of the agency, objectives of the firm etc

Brief Data Sheet of the Agency

Sl.

No. Particulars

To be filled up by the Agency along with

supporting documents

1 Name of Agency and address of registered office

2 Registration No. & Date: (Please attach

Registration Certificate)

3 Year of incorporation

4 Total number of years of Experience from the

incorporation of the Firm.

2. Financial: Provide previous three financial years turnover and net worth of the agency on the

basis of the audited accounts of the previous three financial years as follows

Amount in Lakh (INR)

Particulars Turnover Net worth

Turnover 2012-13

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Turnover 2013-14

Turnover 2014-15

Agency’s experience

Sl.

No.

Name of

Assignment

Nature of

Assignment

Name of the

Client

Duration Brief

Details

Contract Value

Rs. (lakhs)

Use separate sheets if space provided is not sufficient

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Endnotes

i Tangible heritage refers to buildings, monuments, landscapes and artifacts while intangible heritage includes traditions, folklore, cultural expressions, creativity and knowledge, to mention a few. India’s vast cultural heritage includes 5,000 years of history, 22 official and more than 1,000 minor languages, about 200 million craftsmen and women, 30 World Heritage Sites, and tens of thousands of monuments, historic areas and sacred sites spread over villages, cities, coast lines, valleys, mountains, deserts, and forests as well a wealth in traditional knowledge and skills, cultural practices and performing arts.

iiIndia Ministry of Tourism, 2014.

iii The Indian travel and tourism industry directly employs over 23 million people, supporting 36 million jobs, or 8.7 percent of all employment. See India Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015, WTTC.

ivIFC 2011 assessment.

vIndian Ministry of Tourism, 2013.

viAs of 2011.

vii Ministry of Tourism, GoI, 2013. It is important to note that in 2013, the state hosted the KumbhMela in Allahabad. The Kumbh is believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth (held every 12 years on the banks of the 'Sangam'- the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati). The gathering attracted about 120 million people, according to data from the event organizers.

viii Department of Tourism, GoUP, 2014.

ixThe World Bank Country Partnership Strategy for India, 2013-2017.

x UNDP, Uttar Pradesh Human and Economic Development Indicators, 2011.

xiProfiling of Core Destinations in the Buddhist Circuit and the Braj Region IIDC, May 2014.