Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards – winners announced

FEDHASA Chairman Brett Dungan said the overall winner, selected from the four category winners, is the Wild Coast Sun in Port Edward. The judges saluted the institution’s outstanding understanding of the interdependence of all aspects of an effective environmental management system. They clearly demonstrated a corporate commitment to continuous improvement.

In the category Best social involvement programme the winner is Thanda Private Game Reserve near Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal. Southern Sun Hotels was highly commended. Other finalists in this category were Aquila Private Game Reserve and Safaris in Rawsonville, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve near Kuruman in the Northern Cape and the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Cape Town. Entrants were judged on examples of corporate and social responsibility like community investment initiatives, local outsourcing, community health, welfare and education activities, promotion of local SMME enterprises as well as local HIV/Aids and other social programmes

In the category Best practice - economic impact, the winner is the Vineyard Hotel and Spa kin Cape Town. Masakala Traditional Guesthouse near Matatiele in the Eastern Cape was highly commended. Other finalists were Tswalu Kalahari Reserve and the Wild Coast Sun. Entrants were judged on local purchasing and economic practices, employment equity, Black Economic Empowerment, employee training and development of and adherence to general and industry-specific legislation.

The Wild Coast Sun also walked away as the winner in the category Best overall environmental management system. The Lion Sands Private Game Reserve at Sabi Sand in Mpumalanga was highly commended. Other finalists were the Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa in Knysna, the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, also at Sabi Sand in Mpumalanga, and the Sun City Resort in Rustenburg.

Environmental issues

Entries were judged on combined environmental issues including management systems and procedures, conservation activities, social and economic initiatives, communication systems and overall awareness creation.

In the category Best single resource management programme Sun City Resort was rewarded for both its waste and water management programmes. Damaraland Camp in Namibia was awarded for its energy management programme. Other finalists were the Cape Town International Convention Centre and the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. Entrants were judged on operational efforts to reduce and manage water, energy or waste.

The FEDHASA Chairman’s Award was made to Sun International in recognition of its commitment and achievements towards responsible tourism practice in South Africa. This award is independent of the other awards and may be made to any organisation or individual making a meaningful contribution to responsible tourism.

Dungan said over the years Sun International has become the benchmark for environmental responsibility in tourism. “They operate their business today as the only independently verified environmentally responsible hospitality group in Africa.”

He said this year’s entries were of very high standard.

“It is clear that after five years, Imvelo is certainly making a huge impact on tourism in South Africa, creating significant awareness of environmental management issues in the industry. With tourism being South Africa’s new gold, Imvelo will continue to create awareness of the potential - but also the responsibility – of sustainable tourism.”

Sustainable management

Guest speaker, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Mmatšatši Marobe said Imvelo is one of the most important components in the tourism and hospitality industries today

“At 10.3 percent, South Africa’s growth in international tourist arrivals was well ahead of the global growth rate of 5.5 percent last year. Although this kind of growth is important for job creation as well as the GDP of the country, it can also place a heavy burden on cultures and environments and put a lot of stress on most of the planet’s sensitive locations.

“South Africa is still faced with the challenge of ensuring that sound and sustainable management practices are maintained at all times. It is through initiatives like Imvelo that we are attempting to communicate these challenges. Imvelo is a must have and a must enter programme for the tourism industry.”

Some 80 entries were received and 18 category entries by 13 tourism businesses made it to the finals of this year’s awards programme.

Imvelo – which means ‘nature’ in South Africa’s Nguni languages - forms part of an ongoing hospitality industry campaign to encourage industry members to accept voluntary guidelines promoting responsible tourism. The awards are in line with the responsible tourism guidelines for the South African hospitality industry and the UN World Tourism Organisation’s code of ethics, and are supported by the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme

Imvelo is supported by ABSA, the Industrial Development Corporation, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Hotel & Restaurant magazine, Thebe Exhibitions, Sun International, C4 Media, CD Link and the Johannesburg Tourism Company.