Source: www.capetown.gov.za
It’s official – Cape Town is more than just another pretty place touting its natural wonders to ogling tourists at any and all cost. At the recent 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, Cape Town was awarded overall “Best Destination” for the responsible way in which it operates, ensuring that it both preserves its cultural heritage and benefits the local people.
Held at the World Travel Market in London, the award aims to recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation. And Cape Town is seen as just that – a worldclass city with a heart of gold (sorry Joburg).
Speaking at the awards, Mansoor Mohamed, Cape Town’s Executive Director for Economic, Social Development and Tourism said “Responsible Tourism is a key pol
icy principle of Cape Town’s Tourism Development Framework. Central to Cape Town’s Responsible Tourism Policy and Action Plan is the measurement of destination performance against destination priorities – water and energy savings, reducing solid waste, and empowering local people and tourism businesses through procurement, skills development and enterprise development”.
The next steps for Destination Cape Town are to facilitate the widespread implementation of responsible tourism practices in tourism businesses, to promote awareness of responsible tourism among residents, visitors and stakeholders, and to report on progress in the identified priority areas.
“Responsible Tourism makes sound economic sense. A significant and growing number of tourists are looking for a ‘different’ travel experience and a higher quality product. They want to get closer to the people of the destination they visit and experience the city’s natural and cultural heritage, with a good conscience and the knowledge that they are doing so in a responsible way without having any adverse effect on the destination,” says Mohamed.