TA-10625 REG: Sustainable Tourism and Services Trade (Subproject 5): Tourism Development Specialist (E-058082-004)

1. Project objective

Objective and Purpose of the Assignment

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region has strong potential to grow tourism as a

driver of economic diversification, regional connectivity, and inclusive development.

Realizing this

potential requires structured regional coordination and a shared, credible pipeline of investment-ready

projects.

The CAREC Tourism Strategy 2030 and the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 23rd CAREC Ministerial

Conference call for the establishment of a CAREC Tourism Coordinating Office (CTCO).

The Memorandum of

Understanding on Regional Tourism Development, signed at the 24th CAREC Ministerial Conference on 20

November 2025, further commits member countries and ADB to deepen cooperation on institutional and

technical capacity and on regional project development.

Experience from the Greater Mekong Subregion

(GMS), notably the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and the GMS Regional Investment Framework,

offers directly relevant precedents.

To support this mandate, ADB will engage a CAREC Tourism Institutional and Investment Advisor to provide

specialized advisory and hands-on support for (i) establishing the CTCO within the existing CAREC

institutional structure, and (ii) designing a CAREC Tourism Investment Framework for the origination,

prioritization, and endorsement of regional tourism projects.

The Advisor will work together with CAREC

Tourism TA Team, TWG Members and other relevant ADB staff and complement the analytical, project

development, and capacity-building activities delivered under the TA.

Scope of Work

The Specialist will lead and deliver technical work in the following areas:

1.

CTCO Establishment Advisory: develop the concept, governance and institutional design, declaration,

staff terms of reference and contracts, first-year CTCO workplan and budget, operations manual,

recruitment advisory support, and any training needed to ensure effective CTCO operations.

2.

CAREC Tourism Investment Framework: design a structured process for originating, reviewing,

prioritizing, validating, and endorsing project proposals, including selection criteria, review of the

project proposal template, and support for an initial call for proposals and pipeline compilation,

drawing on the GMS Regional Investment Framework model and adapting it to CAREC Program institutional

arrangements and TWG mandates.

Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output

a.

CTCO Concept and Case for Establishment

• Prepare a CTCO concept note for member countries outlining the proposed office’s role,

responsibilities, activities, structure, financing arrangements, and practical benefits for CAREC

countries.

• Recommend the CTCO’s institutional placement and governance within the CAREC Program, including its

Secretariat role for the CAREC Tourism Working Group and the responsibilities of a proposed Supervisory

Board.

• Recommend hosting and operating arrangements, currently expected at the Silk Road Office in Samarkand,

Uzbekistan, including staffing and a self-financing model based on member country contributions and

benchmarked against comparable regional bodies such as MTCO, ASEAN, and IMT-GT.

b.

CTCO Establishment Instruments

• Prepare a draft declaration establishing the CTCO for TWG consideration and adoption by CAREC

countries.

• Prepare terms of reference and fixed-term contract templates for core CTCO staff (e.g., Executive

Director and Operations Manager).

• Draft the first-year CTCO annual workplan and budget (AWPB).

• Draft a CTCO operations manual covering core procedures and financial management.

• Review and refine the CAREC Tourism Working Group mandate to reflect the CTCO Secretariat function and

Board arrangements.

• Organize a Thailand learning exchange between MTCO and selected CAREC TWG members, such as Uzbekistan

and the 2027 rotating Chair, to review lessons on establishing, operating, and sustaining a regional TWG

Secretariat and Board, tentatively during the June/July 2027 Mekong Tourism Forum-GMS Tourism Working

Group Meeting in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

• Advise the TWG, typically through the rotating Chair, on CTCO staff recruitment, including applicant

screening, shortlisting, interview observation, and initial operational guidance for the newly recruited

CTCO Director.

c.

CAREC Tourism Investment Framework: Design

• Recommend a process and institutional structure for preparing tourism project proposals, from

identification and concept development through TWG review, prioritization, validation, CAREC Secretariat

screening, and ministerial endorsement.

• Develop minimum and aspirational project selection criteria aligned with the CAREC Tourism Strategy

2030, including regional impact, strategic alignment, project readiness, and cross-cutting priorities

such as green, digital, inclusive, and cross-border tourism.

• Finalize a standard CAREC tourism project proposal template capturing project profile, proponent,

financing sources and modality, geographic scope, and expected outcomes.

• Recommend the pipeline format, content, financing-source structure, and update cycle, such as a

rolling multi-year pipeline maintained by the CTCO and TWG.

d.

CAREC Tourism Investment Framework: Rollout Support

• Develop and deliver a 5-day learning program on preparing regional tourism project proposals for TWG

members and other mid-level government officials from all CAREC countries, in collaboration with the

CAREC Tourism Development Lead, ADB staff, and TA resource persons, and in partnership with a CARECbased knowledge institution.

Tasks include preparing the concept note, program and schedule, learning

materials, and pre- and post-program assessments.

• Support an initial call for proposals and compilation of a first indicative tourism pipeline with the

TWG and national tourism focal points.

• Prepare concise guidance materials and provide intermittent technical support to TWG and national

focal points on proposal preparation and screening.

e.

Coordination and Reporting

• Coordinate closely with the CAREC Tourism Development Lead and ADB staff to ensure consistency with

the TA's knowledge, project development, and capacity-building outputs.

• Coordinate with ADB, the CAREC Secretariat, the TWG, national tourism focal points, and the

prospective CTCO host institution.

• Prepare progress updates and meeting briefs, and deliver all outputs on time and to ADB standards.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

The Specialist should hold a master’s degree and have at least 15 years of experience in tourism

development, including at least 10 years directly relevant to this assignment, with:

• Proven experience establishing or operating regional cooperation secretariats or coordinating offices;

experience with GMS/MTCO, ASEAN, IMT-GT, or similar regional tourism or economic cooperation bodies is

highly desirable.

• Experience developing regional or subregional investment framework project pipelines, preferably with

ADB or another multilateral development institution.

• Experience designing and delivering learning programs for mid-level government officials and tourism

industry associations.

• Strong knowledge of regional cooperation institutions, governance arrangements, and financing models.

Minimum General Experience 15

Years

Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment) 10

Years

Regional/Country Experience Required

Desired

Not Required

Deliverables

Details Name Type Estimated Submission Date

Inception rep.

including proposed work plan, timeline, list of required inf., and CTCO concept note Report 31-Dec-2026

Draft CTCO est.

declaration, core staff TORs and fixed-term contract templates and other Report 28-Feb-2027

CAREC Tourism Investment Framework documents (process, criteria, template) Report 31-Mar-2027

Learning exchange in Thailand between MTCO and select CAREC TWG members designed and conducted.

Report 31-Jul-2027

Regional tourism project proposal development learning program designed and conducted Report 30-Sep-2027

Final Report Final Report 31-Dec-2027

Schedule and Places of Assignment (chronological and inclusive of travel)

Schedule Type Continuous

Intermittent

Max.

Working Days/Week Home Office 5

Field 6

City and Country Working Days Estimated Start Date Estimated End Date Other Details (use if place selected is Others)

Home Office, Other Search and Select: Place

15 19-Oct-2026 30-Apr-2027

Baku, Azerbaijan Search and Select: Place

4 03-May-2027 07-May-2027

Home Office, Other Search and Select: Place

15 08-May-2027 04-Jul-2027

Chiang Rai, Thailand Search and Select: Place

5 05-Jul-2027 09-Jul-2027

Home Office, Other Search and Select: Place

5 10-Jul-2027 15-Aug-2027

Other City, Uzbekistan Search and Select: Place

15 16-Aug-2027 03-Sep-2027 Samarkand

Astana, Kazakhstan Search and Select: Place

4 13-Sep-2027 17-Sep-2027

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Search and Select: Place

3 20-Sep-2027 23-Sep-2027

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Search and Select: Place

3 27-Sep-2027 30-Sep-2027

Dushanbe, Tajikistan Search and Select: Place

3 04-Oct-2027 07-Oct-2027

Tashkent, Uzbekistan Search and Select: Place

4 11-Oct-2027 15-Oct-2027

Home Office, Other Search and Select: Place

8 16-Oct-2027 31-Dec-2027

Total

84

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