Dorine Reinstein
Responsible tourism is the future for
Africa, as travelers increasingly want authentic, genuine and responsible
holidays. This was the key focus at the World Travel Market Africa Responsible
Tourism Conference (WTM Africa) in Cape Town, South Africa, this month.
During WTM Africa, heroes of responsible
tourism in Africa were honored at the 2015 African Responsible Tourism Awards
Ceremony. Among the winners were Chumbe Island in Zanzibar, Coffee Beans Routes
in South Africa and Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana. The overall winner of the
awards was Gansbaai Tourism in South Africa. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Heidi van
der Watt, managing director of Better Tourism Africa, said the winners of the
awards all have a vision that extends beyond the commercial, linking business
success with the well-being of local communities and the longevity of their
environments.
“They want to make profits with
principles, communicate balance sheets alongside beliefs and won’t undermine
passion in the pursuit of professionalism,” she said. “They are the future of
tourism in Africa."
But, although industry players strongly
believe that responsible tourism is the future for Africa, inbound tour operators
to Africa report that there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to educating
the public on responsible tourism.
The problem, according to Onne Vegter, CEO
of Wild Wings Safaris, is that although most travelers show awareness about responsible
tourism, it means different things to different people and can include anything
from treatment of staff and community impact to carbon-offset measures and
contributions to conservation.
Brian Tan, CEO of Zicasso, pointed out
that travelers rarely ask for an establishment, an attraction or a tour to be
sustainable. He says: “At the moment, it's much more common to see travelers
asking for a hotel with a gym than for a sustainably managed hotel. On a scale
of 1 to 10, I would rate U.S. travelers as a 3 in terms of being responsibly
aware. It's in the beginning stages; travelers can benefit from a
lot more education on this topic.”
James Wilson, business development manager
for Chobe Game Lodge, added that responsible practice is not a major issue for
U.S. travelers at the moment.
“We find that guests are seeking an
establishment that will offer them the best experience in that region,” he
reported. “The sustainable tourism initiatives taking place are a feel-good
factor for our guests and something we actively make them aware of during their
time with us.”
But even if U.S. travelers are not
actively asking for responsible tourism providers, travel agents should keep in
mind that dealing with sustainable and responsible operators and establishments
will often mean a more superior experience for their clients.
“In Botswana, properties using solar or
electric vehicles ensure guests have little to no noise pollution on safari or
in camp where [at other, less responsible properties] they might otherwise hear
generators,” Wilson said. “Responsible operators also ensure staff is treated
fairly. We know that our guests appreciate this as they consistently commend
the guides on how passionate they are.”
Robyn Stalson, philanthropy specialist for
Giltedge Africa, said that the emphasis from the tourism sector on responsible
tourism has indeed had a significant impact on U.S. travelers who are becoming
increasingly savvy about sustainable travel.
“It is through the efforts of the tourism
community that this awareness and affinity has grown,” Stalson said, adding that
sustainable travel has become a two-way affair: As travelers’ interest in
environmentally friendly holidays continues to grow, so, too, does the number
of innovative and luxurious travel experiences on offer.
Iain Harris, spokesman for Coffeebeans
Routes, warns, however, that many apparently responsible enterprises still
perpetuate stereotypes and binary ideas about how and who Africans are. They
will, for example, present the “real” Africans as poor and coming from the
townships. “Sustainable travel needs to focus more on challenging these
assumptions, offering or suggesting new ways of seeing things,” he said.
According to Harris, the reality is that
within travel, the industry and the travelers who have disposable cash are
conservative and actively seek ways to affirm rather than challenge their
worldview.
“So it's one thing to seek a hotel or
lodge that saves water and uses solar and bio-digesters, it's another thing to
seek a business or lodge that challenges assumed views of the world and doesn't
pander to what it thinks visitors want,” Harris said. “There is a lot of work
to be done.”
Although it can be difficult to separate
the wheat from the chaff when it comes to selecting responsible tourism
providers, there are a few pointers travel agents can keep in mind:
- Look for the story that is being told;
that is the best indicator, said Coffeebean Routes’ Harris. It's easy to talk
about your light bulbs, the nice things you do for your staff and suppliers.
Look at the photographs on the websites; seek images that are telling different
stories, stories beyond baobabs, wild animals and happy, dancing Africans. The
companies seeking to tell new stories will have different images.
- Educate yourself, said Zicasso’s
Tan. If an establishment, for example, offers an opportunity to walk with
lions in Africa, dig deeper to learn about it, read what experts like Dereck
Joubert (a filmmaker who directed “The
Last Lions,” a film by the National Geographic Society) have to say about
such promises, and it's not good!
- The best thing to do is to just ask
questions, said ild Wings Safaris’ Vegter. How does the organization practice
sustainable and responsible tourism? Ask about the projects or charities they
support and how they ensure a percentage of their profits benefit either
conservation or a social cause, such as a disadvantaged community.
- An ecofriendly stamp alone is not enough. There
are a lot of green rating companies that promise to audit your property and
give you listing and exposure as an ecofriendly property, said Wilson. Their
main objective, though, is to collect annual membership fees and to use members
to improve their exposure. Look out for properties that are accredited
eco/green/responsible by government or tourist board bodies.
- Travel agents need to partner with
organizations that are accredited or have won awards for sustainable
programming, said Giltedge’s Stalson. This is to ensure that they are fiscally
responsible, have tangible reporting on their progress and show success and
growth over the long term
- Stalson adds travel agents also need to
stay away from the theater of experiences. There are many nonprofits/travel
agents that capitalize on the drama of vulnerability instead of on authentic
growth and development.