Cape to Cairo Project in Geotourism Challenge

SEE VIDEOS www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/20330

Open Africa is a non-profit organisation under the patronage of Nelson Mandela and headed up by founder and Ashoka Fellow, Noel de Villiers. It was established in 1995 with the aim of developing tourism, job creation and conservation, resulting in the concept of Afrikatourism and the development of the Open Africa website Project.

The organisation is a pan-African collaborative movement. The vision is to link the splendours of Africa in a network of job-creating conservation-oriented tourism routes from the Cape to Cairo.

Operated by local people within the framework of a system provided by Open Africa, these routes will take travellers to places that they would otherwise not see…

    * Authentic places
    * Mostly away from the crowds
    * Where you can reconnect with nature
    * Meet the people in Africa and
    * Share their experiences and stories

The network already has 55 routes in six Southern Africa countries, in which there are 1906 participants employing more than 20 000 people.

Says Open Africa: All of us have these few things in common: We worry about and feel guilt about poverty. We care about the environment and extinctions. We know we are part of that problem. We relish travel, to enjoy other cultures and places. We love Africa. And these things are all joined by a silver thread.

Communities in Africa’s rural and marginalised areas are the custodians of most of the world’s nature and cultural treasures. They badly need the money we are willing to pay to see these splendours. But because they are marginalised few people know about them. This is why Open Africa is joining these threads, so that you and I can experience the true soul of this magnificent continent whilst bringing succour and nourishment to where it is most needed.

Starting in South Africa and moving northwards, the project is pan-African and intended to cover as much of the continent as is feasibly possible. It is only implemented where communities actually ask for it, to ensure enthusiasm and local commitment to its sustainability.

By bringing people together from marginalized and rural communities to collaborate in promoting their tourism potential. The Open Africa system connects tourism products, connects these products to markets, and connects all the players with knowledge, ideas, and opportunities by networking best practice examples throughout the system.

The achievement of the vision is being enabled by the integration of leading edge GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology with the Internet.

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