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Responsible Tourism Week is here

By Evan-Lee Courie

10 Feb 2015

With the rapid growth of the travel and tourism industry, there is also an increasing need amongst both travel professionals and consumers to reduce the negative impacts of travel, bring economic benefits to communities, and preserves the cultural heritage and natural resources of any destination - this is known as responsible tourism.

Simply put, responsible tourism is tourism 'that creates better places for people to live in, and better places to visit'.

2015 marks the 5th year for Responsible Tourism Week in Cape Town, taking place from 9-15 February 2015 - an annual week of focused attention that brings together tourism businesses, learners and communities in Cape Town to spread awareness of sustainable practices and ethical methods within the tourism sector.

How it all began

It all began in 2002, when Cape Town hosted the first International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, an event alongside the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Since then, the Mother City's journey continued when responsible tourism was included as a founding principle of Cape Town's Tourism Development Framework.

It was in 2008 that the City of Cape Town and the major tourism trade associations, namely FEDHASA, SATSA, SAACI, and Cape Town Tourism, gathered to deliberate a more durable tourism future for Cape Town. They chose water and energy efficiency, waste management, skills development, preferential procurement, social development and enterprise development as crucial for destination sustainability.

Committing to responsible tourism

Together, these partners created the Responsible Tourism Policy and Action Plan, adopted by the City of Cape Town Council in 2009. Also in 2009, on World Responsible Tourism Day, the five collaborators signed the Cape Town Responsible Tourism Charter, sealing a destination partnership and commitment to the seven destination priorities.

The priorities are:

to minimise negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;

to generate greater economic benefits for local people and enhance the well-being of host communities, improve working conditions and access to the industry;

to involve local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;

to make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and to the maintenance of the world's diversity;

to provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;

to provide access for physically challenged people; and

to be culturally sensitive, engendering respect between tourists and hosts, and build local pride and confidence.

For more about Responsible Tourism Cape Town, go to responsiblecapetown.co.za