heidi keyser
TRANSCRIPT
Heidi van der WattInternational Centre for Responsible Tourism – South Africa
No easy road: South Africa's Responsible Tourism Journey
6 th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations
Sao Paulo, Brazil, 18 – 20 June 2012
South Africa is known for breathtaking scenic beauty and globally important biodiversity hot-spots,
world-class- tourism infrastructure and successful events....
a melding of cultures, successful political transition and maturing democracy.
But we are still challenged by high levels of poverty and deprivation, economic inequalities, and ..
backlogs in services such as water, electricity and transport.
To be a great place to visit, South Africa must first be a great place to live
Our journey began in 1996, and took a leap forward in 2002.
FEDHASA launched the Imvelo Awards,
In 2002, SA hosted the 1st International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, leading to the “Cape Town Declaration”
and the 1st certification programmes started up.
BEFORE AFTER
Tourism is bringing positive change to people’s lives...
and protecting our natural environment.
Responsible Tourism is seen as a priority by all spheres of government, by politicians and officials.
Major players in the sector are promoting their green and social responsibility,
and some have received global recognition for their social, economic and environmental actions.
We developed a National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism (NMSRT) to harmonise certification criteria, and associated accreditation system for certification bodies
The NMSRT is aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, but reflects South Africa’s context and priorities in four categories.
Sustainable management & operations
Environmental responsibility
Economic responsibility
Socio-cultural responsibility
Accreditation of certification
agencies commenced
May 2012
Draft Tourism Bill (2011)
National Tourism Sector Strategy (2011)
FOU
NDI
NG
LEGI
SLAT
ION
OVE
RARC
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ATIO
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STR
ATEG
Y
1. To grow the tourism sector’s absolute contribution to the economy2. To provide excellent people development and decent work within the tourism
sector3. To contribute to the regional tourism economy4. To deliver a world-class visitor experience5. To entrench a tourism culture amongst South Africans6. To position South Africa as a globally recognised tourism destination brand7. To achieve transformation within the tourism sector8. To address the issue of geographic, seasonal and rural spread9. To promote ‘responsible tourism’ practices within the sector10. To unlock tourism economic development at a local government level
We’ve drafted a national Responsible Tourism Strategy, to help drive wide-spread implementation.
Insert front page of NTSS
RT becomes the norm in the destination
Adoption and implementation of Responsible Tourism
However, our journey is just beginning as for many it is still “business as usual”.
Responsible Tourism should be central to how we do business.
Our challenge
The journey to date
2009 RT Policy & Action Plan
2 years in the making7 priority areas for action & reporting3 indicators selected by each business
Signing of Responsible Tourism Charter October 2009
2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards: Best Destination – Cape Town
Responsible Tourism Action
TeamLaunch Concept
www.responsiblecapetown.co.za
Destination RT image library
60+ images
Cape Town Taking Responsibility for Tourism - DVD
Responsible Tourism Action
TeamLaunch Concept
RT Booklet
Cape Town’s RT How-to Guide• A practical, How-To
Guide for the local tourism industry
• Focused on local issues and solutions
• Segment specific
• In-depth case studies with sound data
• Implementation of responsible tourism management
• Marketing a responsible product or experience
ResponsibleCapeTown.co.za/How-to-
Guide
Sharing Cape Town’s experience
RT in Cities Conference:
The RT Pilot
Launch Sept 2011
Gathering performance data against priority indicators
Identifying barriers
Developing solutions
Constructing destination RT barometer for aggregated reporting
What have we learnt along
the way?
LESSONS
[various frame designs tested before final
selection ]
[different skills of various
artists]
[different material qualities of beads and wire]
Harnessing collective
energy creates amazing results
Recognise and work with
stakeholder capacity
Results are not immediately
obvious
Some stakeholders
may need ‘nudging’ along
Vision has to be backed by unwavering commitment
[individual beading designs]Different
stakeholders will have different
solutions
[continuous design innovation]Responsible Tourism is
a process of continuous improvement[collective caring]
RT in Cities201?
OBRIGADOTHANK YOU
DANKIEENKOSI
PHOTOS: Heidi van der Watt, Bruce Sutherland, Coco van Oppens, Grootbos, World Travel Market, Club Travel, Tourism Community Development Trust
Heidi van der Watt
+2783 2632269
Destination Cape Town