Annual sustainable tourism development seminar
Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries and is a major source of income for many countries. Being a people-oriented industry, tourism also provides many jobs which have helped revitalise local economies.
However, like other forms of development, tourism can also cause its share of problems, such as social dislocation, loss of cultural heritage, economic dependence and ecological degradation. Learning about the impacts of tourism has led many people to seek more responsible holidays. These include various forms of alternative or sustainable tourism such as: 'nature-based tourism', 'ecotourism' and 'cultural tourism'. Sustainable tourism is becoming so popular that some say that what we presently call 'alternative' will be the 'mainstream' in a decade.
All tourism activities of whatever motivation - holidays, business travel, conferences, adventure travel and ecotourism - need to be sustainable. Sustainable tourism is defined as "tourism that respects both local people and the traveler, cultural heritage and the environment". It seeks to provide people with an exciting and educational holiday that is also of benefit to the people of the host country.
Why you should attend this seminar:
• To appreciate the benefits and problems arising from various forms of tourism, especially in terms of social equity and the environment;
• To develop a critical awareness of the ways in which tourism can enhance the welfare of people and protect our natural and cultural heritage;
• To promote a personal commitment to forms of tourism that maximise rather than detract from sustainable human development and environmental quality;
• To Increase leisure time and encouraging the growth of in-country or domestic tourism industries in south Africa through brand management and social media;
• To know how planning for better resource (water, energy, and biodiversity) management in relation to critical tourism related infrastructure can contribute to tourism sustainability and reduce the impacts of climate change;
• To support sustainable development of tourism and promoting solutions that balance conservation, communities and sustainable travel.
Who should attend:
• LED managers and director;
• CEOs and MDs;
• tourism directors;
• product development managers;
• tourism marketing managers;
• tourism consultants;
• brand managers;
• business development managers.
Speaker panel:
1. Mr. Douglas De Villiers - group chief executive, Interbrand Sampson
2. Mr. Andrew Shapland - managing director, Tourism Corporation Africa
3. Mr. Rick Taylor - managing director, The Business Tourism Company
4. Prof. Gijsbert Hoogendoorn - University of Witwatersrand
5. Mr. Peter Myles - founder, Tournet Africa
6. Ms. Glynn O'Leary - Transfonteir Parks Destination
7. Dr. Willie Coetzee - senior lecturer, Tshwane University Of Technology
8. Mr. Caleb Mabaso - chairperson , FEDHASA (Inland)
9. Ms. Lorraine Jenkins - founder, Hotel Stuff
Venue: Maropeng and the Cradle of Human Kind Conference Centre, Johannesburg
Cost: R 6 268,86
More info:
Maropeng and the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Maropeng means “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, the main indigenous language in this area of South Africa. The Cradle of Humankind is an easy drive of about an hour from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Our ancestors have lived in this area for more than three-million years. By coming here, you are coming to the birthplace of humanity. Welcome home.
The Maropeng Visitor Centre is an exciting, world-class exhibition, focusing on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years.
On arrival, you will see a massive burial mound called the Tumulus, which is your entrance to learning the secrets of our ancestry.