Access to capital funding and other forms of financing is a vital element in the sustainability and competitiveness of SMEs. It allows SMEs, particularly in the tourism industry, to partake in the global economy and seize the opportunities accompanying globalization. We propose a method to address the question of how to empower SMEs participating in the tourism industry to have easy access to financing offered by commercial and universal banks. To address this, there is a need to survey SMEs engaged in the tourism industry and discuss with financial institutions on how to liberalize their policies to provide financing. A-priori results include the need to build the capacity of SMEs to become financially sustainable. Such will allow us to craft policy recommendations on how SMEs can gain and increase their access to financing.

JEL Classifications: L20, Q20, Q56

Keywords: access to finance, development, SMEs, financial sustainability