Tourism Expert: Market Systems Analysis for Tourism Sector at International Labor Organization (ILO)

Specific objectives of the MSA:

• In this assignment, the national consultant will work closely with the PPDP team and HQ backstopping team to complete the market systems analysis following ILO methodology, as outlined in section 3 of ILO’s VCD guide and its complementary gender-sensitive VCD guide.4 This will include covering the 5 key steps of an MSA which include:
• Understanding and mapping the tourism value chain’s structure and its main dynamics: The MSA will seek to better understand the different tourism “value chain stages” (e.g. pre-travel, travel to destination, on-ground experience, post-travel) and the current and projected supply and demand for different tourism services within these different stages (among both domestic and international tourists). This will notably include examining the different actors providing these services, their performance, their relationships with other actors, etc. A gender perspective will be adopted, identifying the proportion of men and women employed at each stage of the value chain, the extent of women’s unpaid labour, the proportion of businesses at each stage owned by women and men, their channels to the market, among other gender equality considerations. It should be noted that, although the definition of tourism services shall be considered in a wide sense at the outset of analysis5, it is intended that the main focus of analysis will be on key tourism services identified relatively early on. This prioritization will be based on discussions within the team on feasibility and opportunity to achieve project objectives.
• Understanding the employment outlook in the tourism sector and market opportunities associated with better DW outcomes for women and men: The MSA will seek to understand the number and nature of jobs in key tourism sector services, with an eye towards understanding gender and age differences and barriers to improved Decent Work outcomes for different groups. Informed also by the tourism value chain analysis conducted under step 1, the MSA will then seek to identify market opportunities with potential for creating more jobs or increasing incomes to the benefit of youth and women in the target counties. Here, the MSA will also notably seek to understand skills requirements for different occupations and potential gaps among youth and women that the project may realistically address within its skills development component.
• Identifying key supporting functions and rules and regulations: Following the analysis of the core value chain and identification of market opportunities with associated employment impact, the MSA will seek to better understand what is constraining the realization of these opportunities. To this end, the MSA will seek to identify which supporting functions (including provision of training, business development services, financial services, etc.) and rules and regulations (coordination, tax regulations, investment incentives, quality standards, etc.) can be improved to unlock identified market opportunities and associated employment impact.
• Analysing key supporting functions and rules and regulations: Having identified key supporting functions and rules and regulations, the MSA will analyze these in further depth. In other words, it will examine the behaviors and practices of key supporting actors (e.g. financial institutions, training institutions, coordination bodies, government agencies, etc.) and why they are not delivering what tourism sector stakeholders need to unlock identified market opportunities. Specific attention will be given to the identification of gender-based constraints, potentially limiting women’s access to supporting functions in the broader market system. This will also include a forward-looking analysis of the capacities and incentives of such support actors to improve their practices, and what are the main barriers they face in this regard (and which sub-systems they originate in6). At the end of this step, the research team should be confident it has identified the “root causes” of constraints, including gender-based constraints, to more and better jobs in the tourism sector.
• Identifying and prioritizing implementation opportunities: The end result of the MSA will provide the project initial intervention ideas to deliver in partnership with local actors. These intervention ideas will be informed by a realistic “systemic change” vision of how project interventions will address the root causes of constraints identified under step #4 and how addressing these will lead to more and better jobs in the tourism sector. The design and prioritization of intervention ideas will have to consider the time and budget available as well as the potential partners available to drive these interventions.

Qualifications and experience

• Degree in Tourism, Hospitality Management, Economics, Business Management, or related field.
• 5 years of experience in the tourism sector in Kenya.
• Good understanding of the socio-economic context of Nakuru, Kajiado, and Narok counties.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience in conducting research

Reporting lines

• The expert will work with the PPDP’s National Project Officer for Market Systems, matrixed to ILO’s Technical Officer - Systemic Change Initiative.
• Throughout the assignment, the consultant will be expected to communicate regularly with ILO staff and work directly with ILO staff wherever deemed necessary.