Working together towards RT in a local area

Cape Towns Responsible Tourism Journey

Sustainable Tourism Partnership Programme Workshop Knysna, 26 March 2013 Heidi van der Watt International Centre for Responsible Tourism South Africa Better places to live in, and better places to visit

2004

Sustainable tourism embedded in Citys Tourism Development Framework, created in partnership with industry, citizens and government Multi-stakeholder process to create Responsible Tourism policy starts

2007

EDU

Labour

Business

Civil society

Government

Education

2009

Responsible Tourism Policy & Action Plan adopted by City Council

2009

Seven agreed-to destination priorities......

Energy consumption Water consumption Solid Waste

Enterprise development

Preferential procurement

Skills development

and making a contribution to those in need

Social development

Priority issues are founded in critical issues for local government and aligned to the Tourism Sector Codes

PROCESS
Approval at highest political level
[Quality assurance]

[Packaging & marketing]

Industry & consumer awareness and information

Multitude of stakeholders with different capacities

[components frame & beading different artists]

City of Cape Town (Tourism Department) coordination and leadership

[Team supervisor]

Diverse stakeholder priorities

[multi coloured beads]

Alignment with international, national, regional and local [International frame policies
design]

Reflects localitys specific priorities

[Colour combination SA Flag unique to the place]

Awareness & training

Supporting collateral

Data-collection

Monitoring & evaluation

Reporting at destination level on performance against priorities

Communication campaign

2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards: Best Destination Cape Town

Responsible Tourism Action Team

Launch Concept

DVD

Sharing Cape Towns experience

RT in Cities Conference:

2011

Association policy statements & Action Plans developed Gridlock on data collection Mostly business as usual
not a priority know-how resources incentives

Responsible Tourism Action Team problem-solving

Crossing the Chasm

RT becomes the norm in the destination

Adoption and implementation of Responsible Tourism

T OUR IS M CHAR TE R
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 T own 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:
R ecognise the importance of the United Nations World T ourism Organizations 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 P aper on T ourism and sharing its commitment to R esponsible T ourism as the most appropriate approach to tourism in S outh Africa E ndorse the recognition of the White P aper on T ourism that all stakeholders should take responsibility for realising the principles of R esponsible T ourism R ecognise the principles and responsibilities set out in the Cape T own and Kerala Declarations endorsing S outh Africas National R esponsible T ourism Guidelines Are cognisant of S outh Africas National Minimum S tandards for R esponsible T ourism Are aware of the City of Cape T owns R esponsible T ourism P olicy, its intention to develop Cape T own as a responsible destination, and the Citys commitment to R esponsible T ourism 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 R esponsible T ourism, being tourism that: - makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the worlds 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 condence - provides accurate information about accessibility of facilities and infrastructure for people with disabilities (visual , communication, mobility) to customers; - generates greater economic benets for local people and en hances 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 E ncourage 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 E ndeavour in our communication with tourists to promote behaviour and activities compatible with the principles of R esponsible T ourism Develop these principles into a corporate R esponsible T ourism P olicy within 6 calendar months of signing this charter Develop a corporate R esponsible T ourism Improvement Plan within 12 calendar months of signing this charter. As part of this we will dene measurable goal s, and will monitor and report publicly on our progress

....... ....... ....... .......

S IGNE D OR GANIS ATION DATE CITY OF CAPE TOWN

2012/ 2013

Working with community of Responsible Tourism practitioners 23 operators recruited by associations Cross-section type & size

Leading lights

Gathering performance data against priority indicators Identifying barriers

Developing solutions
Documenting experience

Destination RT barometer for aggregated reporting at destination level

What have we learnt along the way?

[individual beading designs]

Different stakeholders will have different [collective caring] solutions Some stakeholders may need nudging along

Responsible Tourism is a process of continuous improvement Vision has to be backed by unwavering commitment

[continuous design innovation]

LESSON S
Recognise and work with stakeholder capacity

Harnessing collective energy creates amazing [different skills results

of various artists]

Results are not immediately obvious

[various frame designs tested before final

[different material qualities of beads and

Next steps?

THANK YOU DANKIE ENKOSI

Heidi van der Watt

heidi.vdwatt@mweb.co.za +2783 2632269 PHOTOS: Heidi van der Watt, Bruce Sutherland