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

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 Export to PDF Export to PDF Copyright (c) 1998, 2023, Oracle and/or its affiliates. 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