Category: Categories

Impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector

Posted on by erik

The tourism sector has been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This ranges from the from SMEs to the international sector players including the airlines, the hotel industry, travel agencies and other associated players. Many African countries are tourist destinations thus must have been dented by the lock downs and closure of airspaces. Upon opening though, a lot of domestic tourism has been promoted.

Connective Cities sought to understand the nature of the impact on the sector players and some of the measures being put in place to cushion against the negative impacts and future pandemics.

Program

With the knowledge that a lot of the players in this sector come from the private sector, little wonder it is that the 11 participants were drawn from the private sector. This was a moderated session and the examples from Mpumalanga in South Africa, those from Asia and the global perspective on response to the pandemic gave a clear picture of the impacts and response measures. In this session we sought to answer these questions:

  1. What have been the core challenges for the sector players?
  2. What measures have you put in place?
  3. Have there been any lessons learned already for long term strategies to improve the sector’s resilience (i.e. preparedness for pandemics or similar events in the future)?

Presentations

Tourism recovery process- the case for Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Mr. Oupa Pilane

Covid-19 and the tourism crisis: how some municipal authorities around the world are supporting tourism sector recovery
Ms. Jennifer Bartlett

Responding to Covid-19 challenges- how Nepal’s tourism sector is finding its way out
Deepak Adhikary

Results

  • Tourism in Mpumalanga province was on a positive trajectory until Covid-19 struck and the sector was adversely affected like in many other countries where tourism is a major economic activity
  • Massive job losses experienced in many countries as well
  • Mpumalanga thus collaborated with the private sector to develop the tourism recovery plan that will protect & rejuvenate supply, re-ignite demand and strengthen enabling capability.
  • From a global lense, a lot is going on with expected post-crisis growth in market demand for nature-based & wellness travel.

COVID-19: Economic impact and recovery

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The Covid-19 pandemic has had a deteriorating impact on the national and local government economic resources. When most governments directed a shift in the normal way of life where businesses thrived, and goods and services exchanged, many businesses were affected. In economies that largely depend on informal labour market, a lot of people have lost their livelihoods. The governments have been torn between life and livelihoods as the interaction of people propels the spread of the virus.

Against this concern, Connective Cities organized a virtual exchange on the 10th of November, 2020 for cities to share on how their revenue stream has been affected and the measures they are putting in place to cushion against the current and possible future pandemics. 7 participants from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa with a representation of Tshwane, Kumasi, Nelson Mandela Bay, Rustenburg and some local government associations were present to exchange and discuss.

Program

This was a moderated session with two main presentations from the City of Tshwane shedding light on their economic recovery plan and the Kenya Private Sector Association highlighted the different ways in the Government of Kenya is supporting the key economic sectors to cushion against the negative impacts. The discussions were enriching to the participants as many cities/municipalities run out of resources to run their operations including provision of services. The questions that were being answered in this session included?

  1. What have been the core challenges for the municipalities?
  2. What measures have municipalities put in place?
  3. How do the municipalities deal with vulnerable groups which were most affected by the pandemic?
  4. Have there been any lessons learned already for long term strategies to improve cities’ resilience (i.e. preparedness for pandemics or similar events in the future)?

Presentations

City of Tshwane’s proposal on economic recovery
Dr. Lardo Stander

SME economic impact of Covid-19, recovery and resilience of cities- Nairobi and Towns in Kenya
Mr. Mairura Omwenga

Results

The City of Tshwane’s economic recovery plan confirmed how fragile the local economies of most African cities are. The quick response to cushion the SMEs & the citizens while safeguarding the City’s purse is a good call.

Access to funds by SMEs & informal businesses will propel the bouncing back of the economic lifeline. The special focus on vulnerable groups is commendable.

The case from Kenya highlighted the impact of Covid-19 on different economic sectors including housing, manufacturing/ SMEs, road transport, community service and professional services. In all these sectors, massive job losses have been experienced but the national government has put in measures to cushion eg establishing SME credit guarantee scheme with local banks and giving tax rebates. The Telcom company offering mobile money services was required to reduce transaction costs up to certain amounts.

Podcasts with Salih Mahmod on Public Health Innovation

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Meet Salih Mahmod, a young Iraqi that rebuilt his maker space entirely after ISIS left Mosul and knew what to do after the hospitals in his city lost their medical supplies in the middle of the pandemic.

More: https://youtu.be/JkgV4-eN9Ww

Join us and watch a special series of videos and podcasts that will show how to overcome a crisis from many different points of view. More videos, podcasts and interviews coming soon on our COVID-19 page.

Kiel: Entrepreneurship and Digitalisation

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We traveled to Kiel, where we captured deep insights from a city that, as a digital champion, had to adapt quickly. How do you keep your StartUp community alive if people cannot meet personally?

More: https://youtu.be/-QxhW-Gx-3M

Join us and watch a special series of videos and podcasts that will show how to overcome a crisis from many different points of view. More videos, podcasts and interviews coming soon on our COVID-19 page.

Provision of basic services: solid waste management

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Effective solid waste management service is vital in ensuring a sanitary environment for any population. With changes in lives and partial or total lock-downs, the provision of this crucial service was interrupted. With the spread of the virus, the general public is now using a lot of medical equipment including surgical gloves and masks. The unsafe disposal of this waste including the increase of medical waste, increases the risks and hazards especially to the waste handlers both formal and informal.

The virtual session on the 29th of October, 2020 was to highlight the issues that cities/municipalities are grappling with to ensure that this service is adequately provided, the workers are safe, and minimize the spread of the virus through the medical waste. Through cross-pollination kind of exchange between cities/municipalities in SSA and Kosovo, a very insightful discussion was experienced. 14 participants from Ghana, Kenya, Kosovo and Zambia with representatives from Nairobi, Kisumu, Accra, Kiambu, Gjilan and Vushtrri cities/ municipalities actively engaging.

Program

5 presentations from cities/municipalities and input from UNEP defined the discussions. The presentations were from Nairobi City, Accra, Municipality of Vushtrri, Municipality of Gjilan and then we got the recommendations from UNEP on how cities can improve solid waste management during the pandemic. The session was moderated and provided an opportunity for discussion and exchange among the participants. The cities/municipalities sought to answer the following questions:

  1. What have been the core challenges for the municipalities?
  2. What measures have municipalities put in place?
  3. How do the municipalities deal with vulnerable groups which were most affected by the pandemic?
  4. Have there been any lessons learned already for long term strategies to improve cities’ resilience (i.e. preparedness for pandemics or similar events in the future)?

Presentations

Solid waste management in Nairobi during the Covid-19 period
Ms. Patricia Akinyi

Covid-19 and solid waste management in Ghana
Ms. Charlotte Akwaah-Adjei

Current situation in the Municipality of Vushtrri – waste management system
Mayor Xhafer Tahiri

Solid waste management in the Municipality of Gjilan
Mayor Lutfi Haziri

UNEP’s recommendation to cities on solid waste management
Mr. Muhammed Omotola

Results

Different cities/municipalities are at different levels in solid waste management with Municipalities like Vushtrri having waste separation and recycling practices. Nairobi City had a lot to learn from the two municipalities in Kosovo. Cities need to be intentional about continuous improvement in the waste management chain. With the rich and diverse input, the discussions were beneficial.

The highlights of the session were:

  • The pandemic led to increase in domestic waste as lock downs loomed and also use of medical equipment (masks & gloves) by the public.
  • Financial constraints were a hindrance to ensuring timely provision of this basic service. There is need for budgeting and allocation of resources.
  • Intensive communication and education of the public and the municipal staff on proper handling of waste including promoting waste separation even at household level.
  • Digitalization of systems and procedures to minimize contact including payment for services.
  • Need for effective environmental policies and guidelines on management of waste especially the hazardous medical waste.
  • Coordination of the different levels of government and other sector players.
  • How past pandemics/ disasters have helped municipalities like Gjilan prepare for covid-19. We shouldn’t waste this pandemic and instead use the lessons learnt to prepare for future emergencies.
  • Establishing of emergency preparedness facilities and crisis management teams.

Weimar: Economic response to COVID-19

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Weimar, a city that attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. Watch how did the local city guides, hoteliers and small shop owners react to the lockdown? And what did the local authorities do?

Mehr: https://youtu.be/SxLgSY2aW6g

Join us and watch a special series of videos and podcasts that will show how to overcome a crisis from many different points of view. More videos, podcasts and interviews coming soon on our COVID-19 page.

Provision of basic services: water supply

Posted on by erik

Water has been a critical commodity in the fight against the Corona. It has been used in regularly washing hands and maintaining hygiene. Cities/ municipalities therefore, have been in the forefront in ensuring that there is enough supply of water.

On the 27th of October, 2020, 13 participants from various cities/ municipalities in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe came together to engage on the subject of water supply. The composition of the participants varied from cities/municipalities to local government associations including Kiambu, Lusaka, Mbeya, Nairobi and Pretoria. The aim was to engage each other on the challenges being faced and the changes that need to be adopted going forward in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.

Program

Four presentations were made in this session and the scope covered views and experiences from the cities (Nairobi City County), research work and civil society organizations (Ferrial Adam – researcher & Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor- WSUP). The session was moderated and gave room for response to the presentations and sharing of experiences from other cities. The session sought to respond to the following questions:

  1. What have been the core challenges for the municipalities?
  2. What measures have municipalities put in place?
  3. How do the municipalities deal with vulnerable groups which were most affected by the pandemic?
  4. Have there been any lessons learned already for long term strategies to improve cities’ resilience (i.e. preparedness for pandemics or similar events in the future)?

Presentations

A Civil Society Response to the Water Crisis During Covid-19 – a Place for Activist Citizen Science
Ms. Ferrial Adam

Nairobi City County Response to Covid-19
Mr. Mario Kainga

How can the Global WASH Sector Respond Better in Future Crises?
(Blog: https://www.wsup.com/blog/how-can-the-global-wash-sector-respond-better-in-future-crises/)
Mr. Kariuki Mugo & Ms. Eden Mati

Results

The presentations and discussions confirmed that most cities in SSA have inadequate coverage of the basic service; water. The sector players need to look into more sustainable solutions to the gap in provision of the service as opposed to short term measures in response to emergencies that are not long lasting. The highlights of the session were:

  • most of the countries in Africa are still water scarce.
  • there had to be sporadic interventions to reach the vulnerable in society who had no water & that the actors should not ignore the poor at their peril.
  • water has value hence encouraging the consumers not to pay has a negative impact on the service providers.
  • water utilities need operational sustainability plans that will stand in emergencies.
  • need for structured mandates & coordination mechanisms for institutions.
  • ensure equity in access to basic urban services.
  • the mapping of the water stressed communities using online tool by the activists is commendable and worth upscaling and replicating.

Infection chains – preventing infections through distance, communication and support for the informal sector

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Around 100 municipal practitioners from more than 20 Latin American and European cities, including Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany, participated in two virtual events on the topic of “Infection Chains – preventing infection through distance, communication and supporting the informal sector”.

During the virtual exchange of experiences, which was held as part of the series of events on “Municipal response to COVID-19”, the participants presented and discussed practical examples from their cities and exchanged experiences on the topics of infection chains and prevention measures, as well as on the topic of crisis communication.

In the first virtual event, the challenges in the areas of infection chain tracing and Covid-19 testing strategies were discussed intensively, because they represent urgent problems for many Latin American cities. The exchange of experiences revealed that crisis communication in particular is an important concern for municipalities – in European as well as Latin American cities alike.

Municipal practitioners face the challenge of raising public awareness of the need for the measures taken over a long period of time. Therefore, the focus of the second event was on the topic of communication. Among other things, strategies of cities were presented on how municipal crisis communication can be designed. It was discussed how cities can inform their residents about public restrictions and Covid-19 in a transparent, inclusive and understandable way.

The virtual events provided space for an interactive exchange of experiences, which was very positively received. All participants took part in a lively discussion and were in favour of continuing the offer.

The languages offered included Spanish, Portuguese, English and (partly) German.

Programme

During the two events, six good practices from Essen and Stuttgart (Germany), Aracaju, Niterói, Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and Naucalpan (Mexico) were presented.

Participants also gained a new perspective on the pandemic from the presentation of three studies on municipal management of Covid-19 by the Brazilian municipal associations “Asociación Brasileña de Municipios” and “Confederación Nacional de Municipios,” as well as “Design Thinkers Group Spain” and “Whiteboard Innovation Israel”.

The aim of the virtual event was also to actively involve the participants. The space for questions between the presentations and the subsequent discussion were used intensively for exchange.

The following questions were discussed during the two events:

  1. What measures can be taken to interrupt infection chains and what role can the municipality play in this?
  2. How can infections be traced and what are local challenges in doing so?
  3. What is the role of the informal sector in relation to infections?
  4. What strategies can be taken to make crisis communication inclusive, transparent and understandable?
  5. How can communities with limited access to digital communication tools be reached?

Good practice presentations

Presentations on 14.10-2020

Decentralised mobile sample collection strategy of the city of Essen.
Jörg Spors, Hygiene Officer of the Fire Department of the City of Essen, Germany

Measures taken by municipalities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eduardo Tadeu Pereira, Director “Asociación Brasileña de Municipios” (ABM), Brazil

Fighting the pandemic with strategic management and innovative measures, Aracaju, Brazil.
Waneska de Souza Barboza, Aracaju Health Department, Aracaju City Hall, representative of the National Front of Mayors (FNP), Brazil

Government action to combat Covid-19 in Naucalpan, Mexico.
Mauricio Eduardo Aguirre Lozano, Secretary of the Municipality of Naucalpan, Mexico

Survey on covid-19: focus on local government and support from federal agencies.
Carla Albert, Health Worker, Confederación Nacional de Municipios (CNM), Brazil

Presentations on 05.11.2020

Opening Speech “Global Human Research Project”. Jorge Roriguez Nieto,
Design Thinkers Group Spain and Amir Hoshia, Whiteboard Innovation Isreal.

Integrative Crisis Communication, Stuttgart, Germany.
Ayşe Özbabacan, Integrative Crisis Communication Officer, Stuttgart, Germany,
Simone Fischer, Integration Policy Officer, Stuttgart, Germany,
Reinhard Schröter, Operations Manager Bus and Tram, Stuttgarter Verkehrsbetriebe, Stuttgart, Germany.

Covid-19 and the implications on the sewage system, Niterói, Brazil.
Camilla Franco, Undersecretary of Health, Niterói Municipal Health Secretariat, Niterói, Brazil

Communication in Crisis: Citizens, Passers-by & Customers, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Hugo Salomão França, Director of International Relations, Belo Horizonte City Hall, Brazil.

Results

Through peer consultation, participants were able to share their knowledge and experiences around the topics of infection chains and crisis communication, as well as analyse common challenges. Furthermore, thanks to international expertise and the presentation of good practice examples, new approaches to solutions were disseminated.

After the virtual session, participants can continue their exchange on the Connective Cities virtual platform.

Local Economic Development and Job Creation in MENA

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Local Economic Development (LED) remains a top priority for the MENA countries as a driver for economic stability and job creation for a region with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. While many resources are invested in fostering local economic development in the MENA countries led by governments, however, there is often a lack of systematic access to practice-oriented solutions.

More than 40 local urban practitioners from 22 municipalities and 10 countries from the MENA region and Germany took part of the virtual dialogue event organized by the Connective Cities project. The dialogue event consisted of five virtual sessions held between the Sep 29th – Oct 7th 2019, focusing on facilitating the exchange of know-how and experiences through peer-to-peer learning among municipal representatives and urban practitioners. Moreover, the dialogue event aimed at enriching the analysis and planning capacity of the participating municipal representatives to address existing challenges of implementing LED and job creation programs.

Throughout the Dialogue event, participants showed tremendous commitment to the program with a level of excitement that remained high till the last day of the dialogue where they learned how to present their LED project concepts in less than 3 minutes; an activity that reflected their understanding of project development process as well as the peer-to-peer exchange methodology.

This report reflects in detail the main results of the virtual dialogue event.

Virtual Global Exchange

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The exchange was designed to bring together urban practitioners from all over the globe. The goal was to ignite creativity, innovation, solidarity and motivation, while creating and enhancing this global community of practice around the common purpose of combating the global COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences with smart local solutions and strategies.

During the first week, urban practitioners and experts from different municipalities, the civil society, business and academia, presented a total of 56 Good Practices in 18 sessions and gave insights into their experienced challenges and local solutions to deal with the pandemic. The exchange were centered around the nine topics were Public Health, Crisis Management, Economic Response, Housing, Education, Digitalisation, Crisis Communication, Innovation, and Green Urban Recovery.

The second week was about receiving practical “How To” workshops with practical exercises on topics that came up repeatedly during the exchange events such as: social media usage, digital tools, and how to plan for virtual meetings. Finally, the newly learned mindsets and tools could be applied in a 4-hour solution design workshop.

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