Securing investment capital for tourism businesses can be a real challenge, as tourism is generally considered a high risk industry by financial institutions.  Of the 450 tourism operators who responded to a 2003 survey developed by the Council of Tourism Associations (COTA), 47% indicated that they had no access to investment capital. 

However, there are a number of measures that existing or prospective tourism operators can take to improve their likelihood of accessing much-needed investment capital.  This report discusses these measures, and provides an overview of the business financing environment in general for tourism operators.  It also makes a number of recommendations for improving the overall financing environment, and offers a list of general and tourism-specific business planning resources for entrepreneurs.

To download a free copy of the report, click here.