Feel the Rhythm, Taste the Life — Discover Laborie
Laborie Blue Tourism Initiative (BTI) Project Update – October 10, 2025
The Laborie Development Foundation launched its BTI in Laborie on May 23 and since that time, the Foundation’s has been preparing for implementation of project activities. Today, the Foundation hosted a brief signing ceremony to commence work on 2 important project activities, designing and rebuilding the Laborie Development Foundation ilovelaborie Website, and the design and establishment of a Community Database to host Community-based Tourism activities.
The new website will be central to the Foundation’s promotional and marketing campaign regarding the BTI and overall sustainable development initiatives and will serve as the platform for the Foundation’s community tourism database. Additionally, community stakeholders engaged in coastal and marine livelihoods, the community tourism sector, and project partners such as the Community Tourism Agency, the Small Business Development Centre and the GEF-7 South East Coast Project have been engaged in the following project activities.
Designing and implementing the Experience Packages
Meetings are currently being held with prospective tour guides who participated in the initial Tour Guide training programme in October 2024, the most recent being September 4. Following the meeting, tour guides participated in a First Aid training session with the Red Cross Association on September 18. Plans for finalising contracts with these tour guides and enhancing the tour route are advancing with the view to launching the first experience, the Laborie Historic Tour by November 30.
Establishing Micro, Small and Medium Sized (MSME) Clusters
Three stakeholder meetings have been held to introduce the project on July 24, and August 14, respectively. During these meetings, stakeholders highlighted challenges. Consequently, the first training session leading to the formation of MSME Clusters is scheduled for October 16, 2025, World Food Day. The workshop will be presented jointly by the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) of the Ministry of Commerce and the Laborie Development Foundation.
Look out for subsequent updates on the project and the formal launching of the Laborie Experience Tour, the new ilovelaborie webpage and the Community Database highlighting community-based tourism activities and interests in the coming weeks.
