Terms of Reference for Interim evaluation (mid-term review) of the Project:

Broad recognition and institutional structuring of sustainable tourism in Ladakh through strengthening local civil society actors

01.08.2022-31.03.2026

The project goal is:

Establishing and spreading of sustainable & ecologically sound tourism model with Civil Society participation and empowerment, institutional platforms on district and community level, and standard setting of guidelines as the recognized model for tourism in Ladakh.

This review / evaluation needs to make an assessment of the performance of all operational aspects of the project intervention. It is an important step in reviewing of the extent of progress and achievement of objectives and timely use of allocated funds.

The planned interim evaluation can rely on the on-going monitoring of LEHO with its systematic collection of data and information. Other important documents as the project request and annual reports will also be shared.

This interim evaluation shall:

• focus on the intervention logic (here the Project Planning Matrix) of the project,
• interpret the results /outputs and outcomes achieved so far,
• elaborate lessons learned related to specific activities and related sub-objectives (outputs) with special emphasis on the development of capacities of the implementing NGO LEHO, the local actors and other stakeholders.
• develop recommendations resulting from lessons learned in view of relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability which realistically can be taken into account in the remaining duration of the project.

The proposed structure of the report:

Contents
1 Executive Summary
1.1 The Community
1.2 The Objectives and Interventions
1.3 Challenges met and Lessons learned
1.4 Conclusion and Recommendations
2 Project overview
2.1 Context and background of the project
2.2 Scope of Interim Evaluation Exercise
2.3 Evaluation Methodology
3 Key Findings
3.1 Observations on activities/Measures
3.2 Project Outputs and Outcomes
3.3 Observations on Specific Achievements
3.3.1 Establishment of Sustainable income generating business models in rural villages
3.3.2 Capacity development of local civil society actors and Institutions
3.3.3 Certification and Marketing
3.3.4 Policy and guidelines
4 Challenges met and Lessons learnt
5 Conclusions and Recommendations