Responsible Tourism Awards winners announced

Imvelo, running for the eighth year, awards tourism businesses that demonstrate sustained responsible practice in their operations in terms of their natural, social and economic environments.

Overall winner

Brett Dungan, CEO of FEDHASA said the overall winner, selected from the six category winners, is Sun International Zambia - The Falls Resort. The judges applauded the property's outstanding understanding of the interdependence of all aspects of an effective environmental-management system and its excellent social-involvement and economic programmes.

In the category Best Social Involvement Programme, the group winner is Sun International Zambia - The Falls Resort and the independent winner is Ulusaba Private Game Reserve.

In the category Best Practice - Economic Impact, the group winner is Sun International Zambia - The Falls Resort and the independent winner is Zulu Mpophameni Tourism Experience, a community tourism organisation in Howick.

The Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort won in the category Best Overall Environmental Management System.

In the category Best Single Resource Management Programme - Energy Management the winner is the Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort. The ATKV Klein Kariba near Bela-Bela earned a special mention.

Sun City Resort is the winner in the category Best Single Resource Management Programme - Water Management, while the Best Single Resource Management Programme - Waste Management was won by the Wild Coast Sun Resort.

In the new category Most Empowered Tourism Business the winner is the Wild Coast Sun Resort and in the other new category, Investor In People, the winner is !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre at Yzerfontein.

The FEDHASA Chairman's Award was made to Fair Trade in Tourism for its sustained commitment to fair trade criteria , such as fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing, fair operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect of human rights, culture and the environment.

The charity arm of Ulusaba's Private Game Reserve, Pride ‘n Purpose, received a special chairman's mention. The programme, set up by members of the Ulusaba family in 2003, provides disadvantaged communities living adjacent to the reserve with basic needs such as access to food, water and health services.