Presentation at 6th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 2012. Contains updates on implementation of accreditation and Cape Town's pilot group.

1. 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
Heidi van der Watt
International Centre for Responsible Tourism – South Africa

2. South Africa is known for breathtaking
scenic beauty and globally important
biodiversity hot-spots,

3. world-class- tourism infrastructure and
successful events....

5. a melding of cultures, successful political
transition and maturing democracy.

6. But we are still challenged by high levels of poverty
and deprivation, economic inequalities, and ..

7. backlogs in
services such as
water, electricity
and transport.

8. To be a great place to visit, South Africa
must first be a great place to live

9. Our journey began in 1996, and took a
leap forward in 2002.

10. In 2002, SA hosted the 1st International
Conference on Responsible Tourism in
Destinations, leading to the “Cape Town
Declaration”
FEDHASA launched the and the 1st certification
Imvelo Awards, programmes started up.

11. Tourism is bringing
positive change to
BEFORE AFTER people’s lives...

12. and protecting our natural environment.

13. Responsible Tourism is seen as a priority by all
spheres of government, by politicians and
officials.

14. Major players in
the sector are
promoting their
green and social
responsibility,

15. and some have received global recognition for
their social, economic and environmental actions.

16. We developed a National Minimum Standard for
Responsible Tourism (NMSRT) to harmonise
certification criteria, and associated accreditation
system for certification bodies

17. 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
Socio-cultural responsibility
Economic responsibility

18. Accreditation of
certification
agencies
commenced
May 2012

19. LEGISLATION Draft Tourism Bill (2011)
FOUNDING
OVERARCHING NATIONAL STRATEGY
National Tourism Sector Strategy (2011)
1. To grow the tourism sector’s absolute contribution to the economy
2. To provide excellent people development and decent work within the tourism
sector
3. To contribute to the regional tourism economy
4. To deliver a world-class visitor experience
5. To entrench a tourism culture amongst South Africans
6. To position South Africa as a globally recognised tourism destination brand
7. To achieve transformation within the tourism sector
8. To address the issue of geographic, seasonal and rural spread
9. To promote ‘responsible tourism’ practices within the sector
10. To unlock tourism economic development at a local government level

20. We’ve drafted a national Responsible Tourism
Strategy, to help drive wide-spread implementation.
Insert front page of NTSS

21. However, our journey is just beginning as for
many it is still “business as usual”.
RT becomes
the norm in
the
destination
Adoption and implementation of Responsible Tourism
Responsible Tourism should be central to
how we do business.

24. The journey to date
2009 RT Policy & Action Plan
2 years in the making
7 priority areas for action & reporting
3 indicators selected by each business

25. Signing of Responsible Tourism Charter October 2009

26. 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards: Best
Destination – Cape Town

27. Responsible
Tourism Action
Team
Launch Concept

29. Destination RT image library

30. Cape Town Taking Responsibility for
Tourism - DVD

32. Responsible
RT Booklet
Tourism Action
Team
Launch Concept

33. 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

35. Sharing Cape Town’s experience

39. RT in Cities Conference:

41. TOUR M CHAR R
IS TE
We, tourism operators, tourism organisations, researchers and educators, governmental and non-governmental
organizations, and citizens, declare our support, motivation, action and defense for the construction of
Cape Town as a responsible destination, committed to continual improvement in responsible tourism practices that
protect and enhance the natural, cultural, social and economic environment.
As signatories, we support the principles of sustainable development and management of tourism. In particular, we:
Recognise the importance of the United Nations World T ourism Organization’s Global Code of E thics, which aims to promote responsible, sustainable
and universally accessible tourism and sharing its commitment to equitabl e, responsible and sustainable world tourism
Are conscious of the White Paper on Tourism and sharing its commitment to Responsible Tourism as the most appropriate approach to tourism in South Africa
Endorse the recognition of the White Paper on Tourism that all stakeholders should take responsibility for realising the principles of Responsible Tourism
Recognise the principles and responsibilities set out in the Cape Town and Kerala Declarations endorsing South Africa’s National Responsible Tourism Guidelines
Are cognisant of South Africa’s National Minimum Standards for Responsible Tourism
Are aware of the City of Cape Town’s Responsible Tourism Policy, its intention to develop Cape Town as a responsible destination, and the City’s
commitment to R esponsible Tourism as an approach to destination management
Commit to make tourism more sustainable, and accept that it is the responsibility of all stakeholders in tourism to achieve more sustainable forms of tourism
As signatories, we commit to:
Work towards developing, operating and marketing tourism in a manner that upholds the guiding principles for Responsible Tourism, being tourism that:
- makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
- minimises negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;
- provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local peopl e, and a greater understanding of
local cultural, social and environmental issues;
- is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and host s, and builds local pride and confidence
- provides accurate information about accessibility of facilities and infrastructure for people with disabilities (visual , communication, mobility) to customers;
- generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well-being of host communities, improves working conditions and access to the industry; and
- involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and li fe chances.
Continually improve our performance in the context of sustai nable development and management of tourism
Encourage our partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to improve their contribution to sustainable development and management of tourism ,
and will work with them and share information to assist in this
Endeavour in our communication with tourists to promote behaviour and activities compatible with the principles of Responsible Tourism
Develop these principles into a corporate Responsible Tourism Policy within 6 calendar months of signing this charter
Develop a corporate Responsible Tourism Improvement Plan within 12 calendar months of signing this charter. As part of this we will define measurable goals,
and will monitor and report publicly on our progress
… … …
… … ....... … … …
… … ....... ……………....... … … …
… … .......
SIGNED ORGANISATION DATE CITY OF CAPE TOWN

43. Gathering performance data against priority
indicators
Identifying barriers
Developing solutions
Constructing destination RT barometer for
aggregated reporting at destination level

44. What have we
learnt along the
way?

45. [individual beading designs] [continuous design
Different innovation]
Responsible Tourism is
stakeholders will a process of continuous
[collective caring]
have different improvement
solutions
Vision has to be
Some backed by
stakeholders unwavering
may need commitment
‘nudging’ along
LESSON Harnessing
collective
S energy creates
amazing
[different skills
results
of various
Results are not Recognise and artists]
immediately work with
obvious stakeholder
capacity
[various frame designs [different material
tested before final qualities of beads and

46. OBRIGADO
THANK YOU
DANKIE
ENKOSI
Heidi van der Watt
heidi.keyser@mweb.co.za
+2783 2632269
PHOTOS: Heidi van der Watt, Bruce Sutherland, Coco van Oppens, Grootbos, World Travel Market, Club
Travel, Tourism Community Development Trust