Responsible Tourism in Cape Town

What is Responsible Tourism?

Simply put, Responsible Tourism is tourism ‘that creates better places for people to live in, and better places to visit’.

The 2002 Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations defines Responsible Tourism as follows:

“Responsible Tourism is tourism which:

• minimisesnegativeeconomic,environmentalandsocialimpacts

• generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhancesthewellbeingofhostcommunities

• improvesworkingconditionsandaccesstotheindustry

• involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and lifechances

• makespositivecontributionstotheconservationofnaturaland culturalheritageembracingdiversity

• providesmoreenjoyableexperiencesfortouriststhroughmore meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understandingoflocalcultural,socialandenvironmentalissues

• providesaccessforphysicallychallengedpeople

• isculturallysensitive,encouragesrespectbetweentouristsand hosts,andbuildslocalprideandconfidence”

See the Declarations attached.

Is Responsible Tourism different to Sustainable Tourism?

Responsible tourism and sustainable tourism have the samegoal, that of sustainable development. The pillars of responsibletourism are therefore the same as those of sustainable tourism– environmental integrity, social justice and maximising localeconomicbenefits.

The major difference between the two is that, in responsibletourism,individuals,organisationsandbusinessesareaskedtotakeresponsibilityfortheiractionsandtheimpactsoftheiractions.Thisshiftinemphasishastakenplacebecausenotmuchprogresshasbeenmadeonrealisingsustainabletourisminthe15yearssincethe“EarthSummit”inRio.Thisispartlybecauseeveryonehasbeenexpectingotherstobesustainable.

Theemphasisonresponsibilityinresponsibletourismputsthetaskfirmlyinthehandsofeveryoneinvolvedintourism–government,product owners and operators, transport operators, communityservices, NGO’s and CBO’s, tourists, local communities, industryassociations.

What Responsible Tourism is NOT!

• Responsible Tourism is not another form of ‘niche tourism’ –ResponsibleTourismisaboutthelegacyandtheconsequences of tourism – for the environment, local people and local economies.

• Responsible Tourism does not only take place in protected naturalenvironments–Anytourismbusiness,whetherlocated inathrivingmetropolis,adesert,ruralvillage,sub-tropicalisland, medievaltown–canbeResponsibleTourismoperations.

• Responsible Tourism is the responsibility of big business -Thesmallestofownermanagedtourismbusinessarealready practicingResponsibleTourism.

• Responsible tourism is particular to South Africa – Operators, destinationsandindustryorganisationsintheUnitedKingdom, United States, the Gambia, India, Sri Lanka, are already practicing Responsible Tourism, and this list is growing. Recognising the global significance of Responsible Tourism World Travel Market, one of the world’s largest travel exhibitions,hascreatedWorldResponsibleTourismDay, tobe celebrated annually during November. World Responsible Tourism Day is endorsed by the World Tourism Organisation andWorldTravelandTourismCouncil.

Responsible Tourism – the basics

Globally, concerns about global warming, destruction of theenvironment, erosion of cultures and lifestyles, and millions ofpeoplestilllivinginpoverty,areincreasing.Thenumberofinitiativesaimedatsavingsomepartoftheenvironment,or improvingthelivingconditionsfortheworld’svulnerablepeople,increasesbytheday.Theheightenedawarenessoftheearth’scrisisisspillingoverintothewaypeoplebehaveintheirhomes,howtheyspendtheirmoneyandthewaybusinessesarerun.

Drivenbychangingpersonalethics,individualscontributefinanciallyorotherwise toenvironmental andhumanitarian initiatives. Theyarealsochangingtheirbuyingpatterns.ThereisamajorupswinginethicalorresponsibleconsumptionintheUKandinothermajorEuropeanmarkets.IntheUK,themarketshareforethicalproductsgrewby22%between1999and2004.

The Ethical Consumerism Report, 2005 – see attached report

Business ethics are also changing, with these trends promptingbusinessestoputmoneyandtimeintoprogrammesthatwillmaketheworldabetterplace.Companiesareadoptingbusinesspracticesthatarebasedonethicalvalues-responsiblymanagingallaspectsoftheirbusinessesfortheirimpactnotjustonshareholders,butalsoonemployees,communitiesandtheenvironment.Thisapproachtobusinessisknownasresponsiblecorporatecitizenship.

What are the driving forces behind the growth in responsible tourism?

Other than the fact that RT is the right thing to do, the following reasons should motivate tourism businesses to adopt responsible tourism practices.

Responsible tourism makes business sense

A significant, andgrowing,numberof tourists are looking for abetter experience, a better quality product. They are looking forexperienceswhichenable themtogetcloser to the“real” livingculture of countries and to experience our diverse natural andculturalheritage.Thisisaglobaltrendintheestablishedmarketsas consumer expectations of their holidays change, people aretakingmore,shortertrips,andtheyexpecttogetmorefromthem.In commercial market research UK holidaymakers were askedwhetherornottheywouldbemorelikelytobookaholidaywithacompanyiftheyhadawrittencodetoguaranteegoodworkingconditions, protect the environment and support charities in thetouristdestination.In199945%saidyes,whenthequestionwasaskedagainin200152%saidyes.

Your customers increasingly demand it

Increasing numbers of consumers are looking at the reputationandresponsibilityof thecompanies theybuyfrom;theywant tohave“guiltfree”holidays.Thisaffectstheirdirectpurchasesfromcompanies inCapeTownandSouthAfricaand it influences thechoicessourcemarketcompaniestoo.UKandotherEuropeanandAustralian companies and increasingly American companies areaskingabout the responsibilityof their suppliersand introducingcheck lists which rate the sustainability of their practices –

see for example the UK Federation of Tour OperatorsSupplier Sustainability Handbook www.fto.co.uk/responsible-tourism/sustainability-guidelines/

It is a market trend that any tourism business cannot ignore.Responsible Tourism makes business sense because a growingproportion of consumers are looking for a better product. Thistrend implies that tourism businesses that practice ResponsibleTourism will have a powerful competitive advantage over othertourismproducts.

For more information about responsible tourism and the market, go to http://www.haroldgoodwin.info/resources/goodwin.pdf

Responsible Tourism is a key element of South Africa’s tourism policy

‘ResponsibleTourism’isidentifiedasthemostappropriateconceptandguidingprinciplefortourismdevelopmentinourcountryinthe1996WhitePaperontheDevelopmentandPromotionofTourisminSouthAfrica.Responsibletourismisseenasapositiveapproachbytourismindustrypartnerstodevelop,market,andmanagethetourismindustry inaresponsiblemanner,tocreateacompetitiveadvantage.

For more about the White Paper and more recent policy developments see the attached reports.

Responsible Tourism and the Tourism BBBEE Scorecard

The 2005 Tourism BBBEE Scorecard has 7 pillars, each allocatedspecific targets and weights for two implementation periodsbetween2005and2014.Enterprisedevelopmentandpreferentialprocurementareallocatedhigherweightings in the initialperiodupto2009,whereafterownershipandmanagementcontroltakeprecedence.Atleast4ofthe7keyindicatorsonthescorecard-Skillsdevelopment,Preferentialprocurement&EnterprisedevelopmentandSocialinvolvement-arealsocentraltotheNationalResponsibleTourism Guidelines published in 2003. By adopting responsibletourismpoliciesandpractices,tourismbusinesscanmakesignificantprogresstowardscompliancewiththescorecard.

See attached the Tourism BBBEE Scorecard.

Why is Responsible Tourism important?

1996 South Africa’s Tourism White Paper

South Africa was the first country to include “ResponsibleTourism” in itsnational tourismpolicy, the1996WhitePaperontheDevelopmentandPromotionofTourisminSouthAfrica.ThisishowtheWhitePaperdescribestherolesandresponsibilitiesofarangeofplayers.Responsibletourismimplies:

• tourismindustryresponsibilitytotheenvironment,throughthe promotionofbalancedandsustainabletourism,andafocuson environmentallybasedtourismactivities;

• responsibilityofgovernmentandbusiness to involve the local communitiesthatareincloseproximitytotourisminfrastructure and attractions, through the development of meaningful economiclinkages;

• responsibilityof tourists,businessandgovernment to respect, investanddevelop localcultures,andprotect themfromover commercializationandover-exploitation;

• the responsibility of local communities to become actively involved in the tourism industry, to practice sustainable development,andtoensurethesafetyandsecurityofvisitors;

• the responsibility of both employers and employees in the tourism industry, both to each other and the customer (responsibletradeunionandemploymentpractices);and

• responsiblegovernmentaswellasresponsibilityonthepartof touriststoobservethenormsandpracticesofSouthAfrica.

2002 South African National Responsible Tourism Guidelines

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT)developed the South African National Responsible TourismGuidelines over the course of 2001. The Guidelines providenational guidance and indicators to enable industry to showprogresstowardstheprinciplesofResponsibleTourismembodiedinthe1996WhitePaper.TheBritishDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(DFID)providedfundingforthetechnicaldraftingoftheguidelines.Anextensiveprocessof consultationwithawiderangeoftourismstakeholders,theinputofSouthAfricanexpertiseintourismdevelopmentandcasestudiestotesttheguidelinesinpractice. Former Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister ValiMoosaintroducedtheNationalResponsibleTourismGuidelinesattheTourismIndabainMay2002asthepolicyguidelinesfortourisminSouthAfrica.

Attached is the Responsible Tourism Guidelines

2002 Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations and Cape Town Declaration

InAugust/September2002,SouthAfricahostedtheWorldSummiton Sustainable Development. A parallel event, the Conferenceon“ResponsibleTourisminDestinations”washeldinCapeTownattendedby280delegatesfrom20countries.Theconferencegrewoutof theSouthAfricanworkon responsible tourismguidelinesanditresultedintheCapeTownDeclarationbeingratifiedbyalldelegates.ThedefinitionofResponsibleTourismintheCapeTownDeclarationisusedbyWorldTravelMarketastheofficialdefinitionofResponsibleTourismforWorldResponsibleTourismday

Attached is the Cape Town Declaration

2003 Responsible Tourism Manual and Handbook

In2002atechnicalResponsibleTourismManualwasdevelopedforDEAT, which provided ‘mainstream’ as well as community-basedtourism enterprises with information about Responsible Tourism.SpecifictoSouthAfrica,andinlinewithcurrentinternationalbestpractices,themanualcollatedarangeofpracticalandcost-effectiveresponsible actions that are accessible to tourism businessesand tourism associations. The Manual refers to many sources ofinformationandexamplesofbestpractice thatcouldhelpguidethe user’s implementation of responsible business activities. ThetechnicalmanualwasusedasabasisforashorterpamphletentitledResponsibleTourismHandbook,publishedin2003.

2004 South African tourism businesses & take the laurels at International 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards

In2004,CalabashTrustandTourswasselectedasoverallwinneroftheinauguralResponsibleTourismAwardsatWorldTravelMarket.TheBicycle EmpowermentNetwork and TswaluKalahari Reservewerewinnersintheircategoriesin2006,andDyerIslandCruises,and Grootbos Nature Reserve received commendations in 2004and2006.Proofthatitcanbedone!Linktoawardssite

Responsible Tourism in South Africa – key events

Tourism Development Framework for the City of Cape Town

ResponsibleTourismisafoundingprincipleofCapeTown’sTourismDevelopmentFramework,developedin2003throughanextensiveconsultativeprocessandapprovedbyCouncilin2004.

Tourism Development Framework Business Plan 2005/6 – 2008/9

TheCityofCapeTownhasincludedvariousinitiativesandprojectsaimedatcreatingawarenessofResponsibleTourismandtoassistthe tourism industry in adopting the principles of ResponsibleTourismintheirbusinesses.TheCityhascommittedtoworkwithvariousparties,includingCapeTownTourism,toimplementtheseinitiatives.

City of Cape Town Green Building Guidelines

The City of Cape Town, Town Planning Department is currentlydrafting the Green Building Guidelines to assist individuals andcompaniestothinkaboutavarietyofaspectsthatshouldbetakenintoconsiderationtominimizethenegativeenvironmentalimpactthat is created through the built environment, and at the sametime,tomaximizepositivesocialandeconomicimpacts.

TheguidelineaimstoactivelypromoteenergyefficientconstructionofneworrenovatedbuildingsinCapeTown.Thechecklistshouldbeusedbypractitioners(suchasdesigners,developersandbuilders),businesses or private individuals for residential, commercial andotherbuildings.

Theguidelinesincludeexamplesofgreenbuildings,alistofresourcepersonsandalistofsuppliersofgreenbuildingmaterials.

Greening the tourism industry initiative

Initiated by the Department of Environmental Affairs andDevelopment Planning, the project encourages tourismestablishmentsintheWesternCapetoadoptmeasurestoreducewater and energy consumption, minimise waste production andincreaserecyclingofwastematerial.

Cape Town Tourism and Responsible Tourism

Cape Town Tourism has various programmes to promoteresponsibletourism.Membersareencouragedtoadoptresponsibletourismprincipals in their businesses.Cape TownTourism in theprocessoffinalizingsimpleguidelinesthatmustbe implementedbyallmembersandaresponsibletourismcodeforvisitorswillbeimplementedsoon.FormoreinformationreadtheattachedreportonCapeTownTourismandResponsibleTourism.

Responsible Tourism in Cape Town

Various market studies clearly indicate increasing support forResponsibleTourismamongsttouristsandoperators.Forausefularticle about the consumer trends in ethical and responsibletourism, click here. The following paragraphs present highlightsfromthevariousstudies.

Ipsos-RSL Commercial Market Research

In 1999 Tearfund commissioned a survey of consumer attitudestowardsethicalissuesintourismamongstanationallyandregionallyrepresentative sample of adults in the United Kingdom. Specificquestionsassessedthewillingnessoftravellerstopaymoremoneyforholidayswhichhadtheethicalcharacteristicstheyaspiredto.Fifty-ninepercentofrespondentssaidthattheywouldbewillingtopaymore for theirholiday ifmoneywent toguaranteegoodwagesandworkingconditions forworkers in thedestination, topreservetheenvironmentandreversesomenegativeenvironmentaleffectsordirectlytoalocalcharity.Thesamequestionwasaskedin2001-overthetwoyearsthepercentageaspiringtobewillingtopaymoreforanethicalholidayincreasedby7percent.

For the complete results of the Ipsos-RSL surveys, see attached report.

Association of British Travel Agents

TheAssociationofBritishTravelAgents(ABTA)hassurveyedpackageholidaymakersconsistentlyformanyyears,andinSeptember2000and September 2002 it included questions which addressed theethical and responsible agenda. Asked in September 2000 theaspirationalquestion‘Howimportantisittoyouthatyourholidayshould...’,:

• 71percentofthesamplesaidthatitwaseitherveryimportant (27percent)orfairlyimportant(44percent)tothemthattheir holiday benefited the people of the destination they are travellingtothroughcreatingjobsandbusinessopportunities;

• 85percentsaidthatitwasimportanttothemthattheirholiday didnotdamagetheenvironment;and

• 77percentsaidthattheywantedtheirholidaytoincludevisits toexperiencelocalcultureandfoods.

By September 2002 greater importance was being attached toallthreeaspirations,upby5percent,2percentand4percentrespectively.

ABTAalsoaskedhowmuchextrapackageholidaytravellerswouldbewillingtopayfortheguaranteeseachrespondenthadidentified.While94percentofrespondentsaspiretobewillingtopay1percentmoreinboth2000and2002,theproportionaspiringtopay5percentmoreincreasedby12percentandthosewillingtopay10percentmoreby6percent.

For the complete results of the ABTA surveys, see attached report.

Attitudes to Responsible Tourism among tour operators

Touroperatorsinmajorsourcemarketsarebeginningtorespondtothesechangingconsumerattitudes,

• TheAssociationofIndependentTourOperatorsimplementeda responsibletourismpolicy in2000.Theirmembership includes manyAfricaspecialists.

• In2001Tearfundpublished‘TourismPuttingEthicsintoPractice’. This report reviewspractice in theUK industryandreportson benefits to local communities, charitablegivingby companies inthedestinations,thedevelopmentoflocalpartnershipsand the responsible tourismpoliciesofcompanies. Forty-sixof the tour-operating companies (71 per cent of the sample) gave money tocharities:33gavemoneydirectly tocharities in the destination,halfgavemoneytoUKcharitiesworkingoverseas andsixoperators(mainlythelargerones)gavemoneytocharities workingintheUK.Thirty-twooftheoperatorsTearfundsurveyed looking for good practice said that they had a responsible tourismpolicy,andoverhalfoftheremainderwereplanningto developapolicy.

To read the results of the Tearfund tour operator survey, see attached reports.

• In2006,theFederationofTourOperators,representingtheUK’s largesttouroperatorcompanies,adoptedtheFTOResponsible TourismDeclaration,withmemberscommittingtotheadoption ofresponsiblebusinesspractices.

• In2007,theUSTourOperatorsAssociationformedaResponsible TourismCommitteetopromotebestpractice.

Responsible Tourism and the Market

Pro-poor tourism, community-based tourism, volunteer tourism,FairTradeinTourismaredifferentapproachestotourismthatare,inprinciple,basedonthethreepillarsofsustainabledevelopment.However,eachapproachhasaspecificfocusthatmakesitdifferenttotheothers.‘ResponsibleTourism’isanumbrellaapproachthatembraces all these approaches. The most suitable approach toapplyatadestinationorbusinesslevel,willdependonthecontextandthespecificissuesandchallengespresentedbythecontext.

Pro poor tourism

Description

The Pro-Poor Tourism Partnership defines pro-poor tourismas “tourism which provides net benefits for poor people”(WTO,2002:65).

Pro-PoorTourismdoesnotmeanthatthepovertyistheattraction,PPTisanoverallapproachdesignedtounlockopportunitiesfortheeconomically poor and reduce levels of poverty in a community.Anyformoftourismcancontributetopovertyreduction.

ThefocusofPPT isonnetbenefitsbecauseengaging intourismdevelopment often has some costs or negative consequences.Theremaybecostswhichneedtobemetbythebeneficiaries(forexamplespendingtimebeingtrainedisanopportunitycost)orthebeneficiarygroupmayloseaccesstonaturalresources–forexampleriverfrontagetowatertheircattleortopreviouslycommunallandleasedtoalodge.

Example

CalabashTours,inPortElizabeth,takestouriststhroughtownships,informal settlements and to schools. Tourists started givingdonations,whichCalabashpassedon.Thevolumebecamemorethantheycouldhandleinanadhocway,giventhereportingandaccountabilitythatwasneeded,sotheysetuptheCalabashTrustinpartnershipwithcommunitymembers.

Thetrusthasdelivered46containersofequipmentworthseveralmillionrandto30differentschools,anditfeeds60to100childrenperday.OnehundredandsixtyregularsponsorsaregivingaboutR170000peryear.

Advice given by Calabash’s owner to shebeen owners, jazzmusicians, students and a women’s group have helped themdeveloptheirbusinesses.

• Heencouragesshebeenownersnottododualpricingforlocals and tourists, but to stock drinks that tourists buy and locals don’t,andputabiggermarkuponthoseones.

• Calabashconstantlyidentifiesnewbusinessideasfortouriststo spendmoneyandforlocalpeopletoturnskillsintovalueadded products.Forexample,theMarimbabandthatplaysinshebeens has now cut CDs, which are sold to tourists. Calabash took adozenlocalphotosandgavethemtoa17yearoldschoolboy poet.Thepoetwroteapoemforeachphoto.Theyhavenow beenprintedon12squaresheetsinaclearbox,thesizeofaCD. TheycostZAR20toproduce,sellatZAR80-100,andallprofits gotothetrust.

(Source: Ashley et al, 2005a; Ashley et al 2005b)

Community-based tourism

Description

Community-basedtourism(CBT)istourismmanagedandownedbythecommunity,forthecommunity,withthepurposeofenablingvisitorstoincreaseawarenessandlearnaboutthecommunityandlocalwaysoflife.

Community-basedtourismshouldalsotakeenvironmental,socialand cultural sustainability into account. (REST, 1997). However,environmental concerns may be ignored for the sake of localeconomic development or perceived improved quality of life.Consequently,notallCBTinitiativescannecessarilybeclassifiedas‘responsible’.

Although CBT is often found in poor and/or marginalisedcommunities,CBTisnotnecessarilypro-poor.Agroupoftourismproductowners,restaurants,craftproducers,etc.clubbingtogethertoformatourismroutecanalsoberegardedasCBT.

Example

Kassiesbaai Cultural and Craft Centre, Arniston

Kassiesbaai isauniqueworkingfishingvillagelocatednearCapeAgulhas, the southern most tip of Africa. The local communitycreatedtheKassiesbaaiCraftCentre,withtheobjectivetoencourageanddevelophome industries,andassist insocialupliftment.Thepurpose of the craft centre was to enable the women of thecommunitytolearnskills,whichwouldenableearnanincometosupporttheir familiesto lessendependenceonseasonal incomesfromfishing.Thecraftcentrestartedofferingtraditionalfishmealsin2000withtheassistanceofthethenowneroftheArnistonHotel.Initially the Arniston Hotel supplied all the tablecloths, cutlery,crockery,glasswareandevenfoodnecessarytohostsuchameal.Thefirst“cultural”Dinnerforthemediaearnedgreatreviews.Thenextguestswerethelocalcouncilrepresentatives,inparticularthehealthinspector,whogavetheprojecttheirblessing.

Related approaches to sustainable tourism

ThencamepayingguestsandsoonenoughfundswereraisedtoreturntheloanedequipmenttotheArnistonHotelandpurchaseown equipment. Today, the hotel continues to promote thesetraditional dinners as a complementary experience to its guests.Through hosting these dinners, the sale of crafts has increasedsignificantlyandthishasbroughtnewvigourintotheproductionofcrafts.

Volunteer Tourism

Description

Volunteertourismistravelwheretouristsundertakeconservationand/or developmental and poverty alleviation activities at thedestination. Volunteer tourists donate their time and moneyto assist in researching ecosystems, restoring buildings, buildcommunity infrastructure, teach in local schools …. the list ofvolunteeractivitiesisaslongasthelistofenvironmentalandsocialissuestobetackled.

Whilevolunteersintentionsarenearlyalwaysgood,thisdoesnotmean that all volunteer programmes or indeed volunteers, areresponsible. The organisation Ethical Volunteering has producedanethicalvolunteeringguidetohelptouristspickanethicalandresponsiblevolunteeringplacement. InSouthAfrica, two leadingvolunteertourismoperatorshavecompiledACodeofPracticeforResponsibleVolunteeringinSouthAfrica.

Example

New Jerusalem Children’s Centre, located in Midrand, betweenJohannesburgandPretoria,thisChildren’sCentrewasfoundedin2000 to provide an essential service to the area’s disadvantagedcommunities. The Centre’s mission is to provide quality care tovulnerablechildren–childrenwhomaybeorphaned,abandoned,abusedorHIVpositive.

Theteamofstaffstrivestoaddressthechildren’sphysical,emotional,socialandeducationalneeds,andalsotoprotecttheirinterestsandsafetywithinafamilyenvironment.

TheCentrecurrentlyprovides24-hourresidentialcaretoabout50children.Volunteerssupportthestaffwithteachingandtraining,aswellasencouragingthechildrenthroughcareandplay.

Volunteershelpwith–

• routinemaintenance&cleaningofthefacilities

• help&supervisionofchildren’shomework

• supervisionforoutingsorvisits

• feeding&bathingofyoungchildren

• planting&maintenanceinthefoodgarden

• handicraftactivitiesandplay

(Source: http://www.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk)

Fair Trade in Tourism

FairTradeinTourismaimstomaximisethebenefitsfromtourismfor local destination stakeholders through mutually beneficialand equitable partnerships between national and internationaltourismstakeholdersinthedestination.Italsosupportstherightofindigenoushostcommunities,whetherinvolvedintourismornot,toparticipateasequalstakeholdersandbeneficiariesinthetourismdevelopmentprocess.

In South Africa, Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)encourages fair and responsible tourism development in SouthAfrica. FTTSA facilitatesa certificationprogramme thatawardsaspecial Trademark to tourism establishments that meet specificcriteria,including:

• Fairwagesandworkingconditions

• Fairoperations,purchasinganddistributionofbenefits

• Ethicalbusinesspractice

• Respectforhumanrights,cultureandenvironment

Establishedin2002,FTTSAhadcertified23tourismestablishmentsbyFebruary2007.

(Sources: Tourism Concern; Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa)

For more information about FTTSA and certified tourism establishments, take a look at www.fairtourismsa.org.za/

Related approaches to sustainable tourism

Atourismbusinesscanfollowasimple6stepprocesstobecomea Responsible Tourism Business. The steps are: Assess – Plan –Implement–Monitor–Report–Reward.

1. Learn about your current environmental, social and economic impact

Ifyouarealreadyinbusiness,asimpleauditofyourbusinesscanhelpyoutoidentifytheissuesyouwanttoaddressandprovideabaselineformeasuringimprovedperformanceagainst.Youcandosimpleaudityourselforemployatrainedspecialist.

Considerthefollowing:

Environmental

• Wateruse–howmuchdoyouuse?Isanywaterwasted?

• Energy use – how much do you use, how efficient is your equipment?

• Waste – how much do you generate, why and what do you dowithit?

• Emissionsanddischarges–Doyouknowwhatyouproduce?

• Useofhazardoussubstances–doyouuseany?Howdoyou disposeofthem?

Social

• Social responsibility – how much to you spend on donations tocharities?Howmuchtimedoyouinvestinassistingcharitable organisations?

• Skillsdevelopment–howmuchdoyouinvestintrainingofstaff? Andprovidingopportunitiestounemployedpeopletodevelop skillstowillhelpthemtobecomeemployed

Economic

• Do you take special care to buy goods and services that are producedlocally?Whatisthevalueofyourlocalpurchasing?

• Doyouassistotherlocalbusinesseswithadviceandmentoring? Whatisthevalueofthetimeyouspenddoingthis?

• Ifyouarenotyetinbusiness,askthesequestionsaboutyourlife andhousehold.

2. Adopt a Responsible Tourism Policy and develop an action plan

Firstly, adopt a Responsible Tourism Policy for the business andembedthisinourstrategiesandoperations.

Work through the National Responsible Tourism Guidelines, andselecttheoneortwoareasoractivitiesforeachofthepillarsofresponsibletourism(environmental,socialandeconomic)youwanttobeginaddressing.

The key questions for you are

• Whatcanyoutakeresponsibilityfor?And

• Whatdoyouwantotakeresponsibilityfor?

Think about the following:

• What difference do you want your business to make to the environment?

• What difference do you want your business to make to local people?

• Whatdifferencedoyouwantyourbusinesstomaketothelocal economy?

Think about initiatives over different time periods:

• Easydoesit:Actionsthatcanbeimplementedimmediatelyorin theshorttermwithlimitedinvestment

• Workingupasweat:Actionsthatrequiremoreresources(time andmoney)andwillbeimplementedlater

• Stretch target: Actions that can only be implemented in the medium term because substantial resources have to be putaside

GatherideasaboutwhatyoucandolookingthroughtheNationalResponsibleTourismGuidelines,bytalkingtoResponsibleTourismorganisations, looking at Responsible Tourism websites andpublications and talking to companies you know are alreadypracticing Responsible Tourism. The Responsible Tourism ManualandHandbookprovidespracticaltipsandexamples.

Everybusinessisdifferent-adopttheinitiativesthatwillworkbestforyourbusinessandyourvision–onesthatmatchthetimeandmoneyyoucanaffordandthatwillprovidethemostbenefit.

Responsible Tourism guidelines and tools for tourism enterprises

3. Implement

• Implementtheactions.

• Educate staff, suppliers and customers about the importance of the responsible policies and measures being taken by thebusiness.

• Make adherence to the action plan a key performance area forstaff

4. Monitoring impacts and changes

• Decidehowimpactsandchangeswillbemeasured

• Prepare a monitoring plan (when will impacts be monitored, howwillimpactsbemeasured,whoisresponsible)

• Monitorthechangesandimpacts

5. Tell others about the observed changes

• Include information about positive impacts in directors’ meetings

• Includeinformationaboutpositiveimpactsinstaffmeetings

• Publishaninformationleafletabouttheactionsyouaretaking and thedifference it ismaking.Give the leaflet to customers andincludedinyourmarketingmaterial.

6. Reward

• Reward individuals (staff and customers) who have helped to implementyouractionplan.

• ConsiderenteringorbeingnominatedforResponsibleTourism awardschemes.

What about certification?

Somebusinessesjoincertificationschemestogivegreaterweightto their corporate social responsibility. Evidence that customerschoose certified products over non-certified products, and thatcertificationthereforeprovidesmarketadvantage, is inconclusive.Having said this, the certification process will certainly channela business’ thinking and actions to become more responsible.Deciding whether to join a certification scheme will depend onthe business owner’s inclination, the resources available and theperceivedvalueofthecertificateinthemarketplace.

Responsible Tourism guidelines and tools for tourism enterprises

The following examples demonstrate how various tourismbusinesses have already taken up the challenge of ResponsibleTourism.Eachisdifferent,andhasfounddifferentsolutionstothechallengesinthelocalcontext.Allareaninspirationandproofofwhatcanbeachieved.

Some examples from Cape Town

Bicycle Empowerment Network

ThemainaimofBicyclingEmpowermentNetwork(BEN)istoaddresspoverty alleviation and facilitate the accessing of opportunitiesthrough delivery of bicycles, imparting of skills and creation ofemployment. BEN also runs Community-based Bicycle Tours inCapeTown–anewtakeontownshiptours–providingthetouristwithmanymoreopportunitiestointeractwiththecommunitythantheywouldhavefromanair-conditionedbus.

BENfacilitatestheimportationofdiscardedsecondhandbicyclesto South Africa where they have helped to set up and provideongoingsupporttolocallyownedbicycleworkshops,trainingandemployingmembersofthelocalcommunitytorenovatethebikesfortheCommunityBicycleTours.Asaresultofthiswork,theyhavealsobeenabletosetuparestaurantprovidingfurtherincomeforthecommunity.

BENwasthewinnerofthe“BestforInnovationandTechnology”inthe2006FirstChoiceResponsibleTourismAwards.

For more information, go to www.benbikes.org.za

Original Teabag Designs

Original TeabagDesigns, located inHout Bay,was startedby JillHeyes after emigrating to South Africa from England in 1996.Gripped by the poverty that she saw in some areas, Jill set upOriginal Teabag Designs as a crafting and employment project.Today,theprojectisashiningexample,ofwastereduction(throughrecycling),employmentcreationforimpoverishedpeopleandsocialupliftmentthroughskillsdevelopmentandlife-skillssupport.

Jill described Original T-bag Designs’ Core Purpose as follow:“Birthedoutofacaringdesiretoimprovethedailyqualityoflifeof impoverished South Africans, Original T-Bag Designs offers arange of high quality, hand made products which are creativelyunique.SupportedbyaChristianethosandpartnershipsthatarebuiltontrust,OriginalT-BagDesignsunlocksselfworthandrealizeshope.”

TheTeabagproductaretrulyunique.Afterdrying,emptyingandironing,eacht-bagisdecoratedwithapattern.

ThedesignsareuniqueAfricantraditionalandoftenreflecttheareawhere thepainterscomefrom.Theproducersof thesebagscandothedecorationontheirowntimeandattheirhomesandtheyreceiveanamountforeveryfinishedteabag.Oncethisprocesshasbeenfollowedthebagsarereadyforuse inallsortsofproductssuchastrays;coasters;cards,giftbagsandotherpaperproducts;jewelleryandotherboxesof various shapesandsizes; corporategiftssuchaskeyholdersandcoaster;stationarysuchasnotebooksandplentymore.

Although not originally set up as a tourism business, OriginalTeabagDesigns’premisesatKronendalarenowaregularstoponCitySightseeing’shop-onhop-offtour.Here,touristscanvtakeatouroftheworkshoptoviewtheproductionprocessandpurchaseproducts.ProductsarealsoavailableatastallattheCraftmarketattheV&AWaterfront.

Original Teabag Designs employs 20 paid staff members, butsupportmorethan100peopleindirectly.Bethesda(anassociationforpeoplewithdisabilities)assistswiththesandingofthewoodenproductssuchasjewelleryboxes;trays;etc.KuhlaniMama,amotherandtoddlergroupinImizamoYethu,producespapermachebowlsforTeabagDesigns.ThewomenoftheKuhlaniMamaweretrainedbytheOriginalT-bagDesigngroup.

For more information, go to www.tbagdesigns.co.za/

Tourism Community Development Trust

The TCD Trust was formed by four Cape Town-based tourismcompanies, Ashanti Lodge, Day Trippers, Grassroute Tours andDrive South Africa. Recognizing the tremendous need for helpin many disadvantaged areas, the founding members teamedup inabidtounifytheeffortsoftheir individualbusinessesandmaximizetheireffectivenessinbringingthebenefitsoftourismtothecommunityat large.TheTCDTrustaimstoprovideaccesstodirectandindirectfundraisingeffortsforidentifiedprojectsaswellastoeducatethebroadercommunityabouttherolethatTourismandHospitalitystakeholderscanplayinbringingaboutrealchangein society. TheTCDTrustoffers various levelsof contribution fortourismcompaniesthatwishtobecomea“FriendoftheTrust”.TheTCDiscurrentlyworkingonthemostambistiousprojecttodate–thedevelopmentoftheBlomvleiMulti-PurposeCentre,initiatedinresponsetoBlomvleiPrimarySchool’sexpressionofneedthroughthe567mwCapeTalk“SilencetheViolence”campaign in2005.Thepurposeoftheprojectistobuildamulti-purposefacilityonthepremisesoftheBlomvleiPrimarySchoolgroundsinHanoverPark.Facilities to be developed at the Blomvlei Multi-Purpose Centreinclude: Library, Media Resource Centre, Hall, Indoor RecreationArea,ConferenceFacilities,OutdoorRecreation&SportsAreaandanUrbanGreeningArea.

Responsible Tourism in practice

OtherprojectssupportedbytheTCDTrustinclude:

• Rosie’sSoupKitchen:Rosiestartedservicesouptothechildren of her community out of a wendy house on her property in 2002.ThetrustsawtheselflessworkthatRosiewasdoingand decidedtosupportherbyfunding,buildingandequippingRosie withabrandnewkitchen.

• Masikule Home Creche once consisted of no more than corrugatedaluminumpanelspatchedwithcardboardproviding littleprotectionfromCapeTown’sweather.Itwasobviousthat it was not an environment conducive to learning during the children’sformativeyears.AfterraisingoverR150,000incash, theTCDTrustfaciliatedtheplanningandbuildingofabrand newcrecheforthetownshipchildren.

For more information, go to http://tcdtrust.org.za

And, past achievers in the World Responsible Tourism Awardsfurtherafield……

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

Grootbos Private Nature and Lodge is located within the CapeFynbos Kingdom, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and aWorldHeritageSite.TheGreenFuturesFoundationestablishedbythe Lutzeyer family, owners of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve,provides training in fynbos landscaping and conservation forunemployedyouth.GardeningwithindigenousplantsiskeytotheconservationoftheCape’suniqueflora.Althoughthereisagrowingtrendtogrowwater-wise,indigenousgardens,thereisashortageofpeoplewiththeexperiencetodevelopsuchgardens.TheGreenFuturesFoundationhelpstogrowtheseskillsincommunitieswithdesperateneedforimprovedlivelihoodsandlowawarenessofthebiodiversityimportanceoftheCapeFloralKingdom.Linkedtothecollegeisanindigenousplantnurserywherestudentsgrowplantsthatare soldand the funds reinvested into theproject.Someofthegraduateshavecompletedguidetrainingandnowaccompanyguestsonbotanicalwalks.

At Grootbos Nature Reserve all alien invasive trees have beenremoved, former grazing land rehabilitated and a Milkwoodrestorationprogrammeintroduced.Morethan50000indigenousplantshavebeenplantedandGrootbosprovidespracticalsupportfor indigenous gardening in the region. The nature reserve usesgreywaterfromitslaundrytowaterthehorsepaddockinfrontofitslodge,savingsome700000litresofwaterayear.The3-hectarefynbos garden at Grootbos has been designed using water-wiseindigenousplants andbuffalograss lawns tominimise theneedforwatering.

Awasterecyclingdepothasbeenestablishedandallwasteissortedintoglass,paper,cardboardandcans.Over90%ofitsglassbottles,paperandcardboardisrecycled.

Sources: Michael Lutzeyer, Author’s own observations, www. greenfutures.co.za

Dyer Island Cruises

Dyer Island Cruises at Gansbaai offers a boat based marineexperiencetoviewSouthAfrica’suniquesealife,andtherarepelagicbirdsaroundDyer Island. Its ‘CleanMarine’project, is educatingthefishingindustryandthepublicabouttheproblemscausedbylitteronthecoast:fishingwire,plasticbagsandoil,thatresultinahighdeathtollinmarinewildlifeandseabirds.ThebiggestcurrentenvironmentalundertakingofDyerIslandCruisesisapartnershipwith CapeNature and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, in theFacesofNeedproject.Theprojectaimstointroduce2000artificialnestsonDyerIsland,providingextrashelterforbreedingpenguins.Africanpenguinsusedtoburrowintothesoftguano(birdmanure)ontheislandtonest.Theguanowasremovedinthemid1800’sand early 1900’s and used as fertilizer. The penguins are nowstruggling to find shelter from predators like kelp gulls for theireggsandchicks. InJanuary2005DyerIslandCruisesconstructed30artificialnestsandtransportedthemtotheislandaboardWhaleWhisperer.Withinafewdaysseveralofthenestshadalreadybeenoccupied.Throughthetrust,peoplewhoareconcernedaboutthepenguins’plightcanparticipateinthe‘FacesofNeed’projectandsponsoranartificialnest.Thesuccessof theproject isevident inthelongpanels,attachedeithersideofthefrontentranceofGreatWhiteHouse, listingthenamesof individualswhohave investedinapenguinhome.ByOctober2007,1900penguinhomeshadbeensoldofwhich450wereinstalledonDyerIsland(Installationlagsbehind salesas thebreeding seasonsofother strategicbirdspecies determine when installation can take place). Dyer IslandCruisesalsoinitiatedandsupportstheNolwandleCraftProjecttomake and provide eco-clothing memorabilia, and arts and craftmaterials for tourists.Twenty-fourcommunitywomenhavebeentrainedinvariouscrafts.TheOverstrandMunicipalitygrantedtheuseofanareaaroundthetaxirank inMashakanetownshipanddonated an unused warehouse building to house the project.Dyer Island Cruises, Marine Dynamics and Grootbos contributedadditional funds for the initialmanufactureofelementary crafts.BritishHighCommissionfundingwasutilisedtoprovideaweeklyremunerationtoall traineeswhileundergoingformal instruction.InpartnershipwithMichaelLutzeyerofGrootbosNatureReserve,Dyer Island Cruises has been instrumental in obtaining the floorspaceandfundingformentorshipsupport,andprovidesbusinessandadministrationsupport.

Sources: Wilfred Chivell, author’s own observations, www. whalewatchingsouthafrica.co.za

Responsible Tourism in practice

For further information

Thepurposeof thisCD is toprovidegeneral informationon thesubject-responsibletourism.TheCDalsoprovidesthebackgroundto the development of responsible tourism in Cape Town withreferencetonationalguidelines,theCapeTownCharterandotherinitiatives.

TheCityofCapeTown’sTourismDepartment,CapeTownTourismand its partners have identified various projects to promoteresponsibletourism.

For further information, please contact:

City of Cape Town, Tourism Department

E-mail: pauline.vanderspuy@capetown.gov.zaWebsite:www.capetown.gov.za,

Cape Town Tourism

E-mail: Bronwen@tourismcapetown.co.zaWebsite:www.tourismcapetown.co.za

The CD was produced by the City of Cape Town’s Tourism Department and the content was produced by Heidi Keyser from Edge Tourism Solutions.

Organisations

InternationalCentreforResponsibleTourism

InternationalCentreforResponsibleTourism–SouthAfrica

Pro-poorTourismPartnership

FairTradeinTourismSouthAfrica

WorldTravelMarketWorldResponsibleTourismDay

ResponsibleTourismPartnershipwww.responsibletourismpartnership.org

Awards

ResponsibleTourismAwardswww.responsibletourismawards.com

ToDoAwardswww.todo-contest.org/

ImveloResponsibleTourismAwards–FEDHASAwww.fedhasa.co.za

Suppliers

This is just examples of suppliers more information on suppliers will be made available.

CapeCapersTours

BicycleEmpowermentNetwork

OriginalTeaBagproject

Travel,PeopleandPlaces

Documents

CapeTownDeclaration

SouthAfricanNationalResponsibleTourismGuidelines

ResponsibleTourismManual

TheTourismDevelopmentFrameworkfortheCityofCapeTown

CapeTownTourismandResponsibleTourism

WTOGlobalCodeofEthics

1996WhitePaper