Tourism expo goes green

South African Tourism has long been championing the green cause, and now it has teamed up with The Heritage Environmental Management Company, Kagiso Exhibitions and the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, in order to make it a reality at Indaba 2008.

“As the organisation responsible for marketing South Africa both domestically and internationally, South African Tourism is keenly aware of the how important it is for travellers and the industry alike to engage in sustainable tourism practices. Indaba is the ideal platform to demonstrate South Africa's commitment to the preservation of our resources to the local and international trade,” says Sindile Xulu, country manager domestic at SA Tourism.

“To create awareness of good environmental practices, information on the impact of recycling at the Indaba will be relayed to the visitors on TV screens daily, ie, of the waste that was generated today, 80% has been recycled,” explains Xulu.

To assist exhibitors at Indaba to adhere to green practices, SA Tourism has distributed an online booklet containing several "green" tips, advising exhibitors to adopt these standards for all future events to help reduce the impacts of exhibitions and events across the world.

Among them are:

• Create signage and display material that can be reused for future events.
  
• Print your marketing and collateral materials on recycled paper stock.
  
• Consider replacing plastic and Perspex items with those made from recycled material, natural products and other less harmful materials
  
• Encourage your clients and visitors to receive an online or e-brochure when they return home
  
• Ensure that any corporate gifts you give away are environmentally friendly - made from recycled materials and natural products.
  
• Discover the range of environmentally responsible tourism products and services available at Indaba and where appropriate, support them with your itineraries and marketing initiatives.
  
• Take what you have learnt at Indaba back home with you and help us make southern Africa a cleaner, more caring and responsible destination.

In addition, a ‘Green Visitors Guideline' will be circulated to all delegates before arrival at the show to encourage them to be more responsible in:

• their selection of accommodation and transport during the event;
  
• waste separation and recycling of their own waste during the event;
  
• making use of electronic marketing materials and reduce the amount of printed material collected at the show;
  
• questioning the environmental credentials of products or services presented to them during the show.

“The greening of Indaba 2008 is part of a three-year strategy to create a sustainable and effective carbon-neutral travel trade show that will set the standard for future events of this kind internationally,” concludes Xulu.