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SA still behind on responsible tourism

Source: Tourism Update, 25/08/2015

South Africa lags behind the many countries when it comes to
responsible tourism, while a lack of accredited tourism products make
it difficult to package for tourists seeking to travel
responsible.

This emerged from a panel discussion at this year`s SATSA
Conference.

Rung Button, Sales & Operations Director at ITT Inspirations, pointed
out that responsible purchasing is a way of life in Europe, with many
consumers opting to pay extra for products that have been Fair Trade
certified. She said it was unfortunate that there was not enough
tourism products that are certified. "With only one or two certified
products for example in KwaZulu Natal, how can I possibly do an
offering for my client overseas?"

However, Button also pointed out that the process to get
certifications was both onerous and expensive.

Craig Drysdale, Global Sales Manager at Thompsons Africa, said
responsible tourism was a strategic approach for Thompsons Africa.

"Responsible tourism is an ongoing subject that some
businesses embrace and some business don`t," he said. "Whatever we
take out of tourism, be it on the social, from a nature point of view,
we have got to put back in it."

Facilitator Paul Miedema, MD Calabash Tours, put large tour operators
on the hot seat, questioning why these companies did not employ a
person dedicated to responsible tourism, or even have a responsible
tourism policy.

A few delegates in attendance suggested that there were many community
initiatives that operators had put in place to give back to the
community. However, Miedema said that while these were commendable, it
was necessary to separate charity from responsible tourism,
emphasising again that large companies lacked a responsible tourism
policy.

Concluding the session, Miedema said that rightly or wrongly, the
industry was perceived as dominated by privileged white people and
this needs to change.

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