South Africa launches new responsible tourism standard

We helped put responsible tourism on worldwide stage job now to mainstream it

Globally aligned Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism, emphasizes the importance of sustainability

The national Department of Tourism worked with stakeholders for more than 18 months to decide on the criteria. These were then refined through the South African Bureau of Standards.

The South African National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism (SANMSRT) has been benchmarked against the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s criteria and is based on the 3 cornerstones of sustainable tourism. These are social and cultural, economic, and environmental responsibility.

SA Responsible tourism principles include respect for cultural and natural environments, avoiding energy and water over-consumption and waste, ensuring that local communities benefit from tourism, and adhering to ethical business practices.

The SANMSRT will be a voluntary standard, and tourism certification bodies wanting to be accredited will work through the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) which will be ready to carry out this task by the middle of 2012, according to the minister.

There will be more and more pressure for companies in the tourism industry to align themselves to responsible tourism principles, remarked the minister.

“An increasing number of tourists are enquiring about adherence to environmental and social standards before they make their accommodation bookings,” he said.

Jennifer Seif, founder and head of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, was the chairperson of the technical working group that helped develop the National Minimum Standards.

“Responsible tourism is a central pillar of our national tourism policy and strategy, and the launch of the Minimum Standard today thus marks an important milestone in achieving our collective vision of a tourism industry that benefits people, business and the environment,” she said at the ceremony.

“I am confident that the new Minimum Standard will reiterate South Africa’s position as a leading responsible tourism destination. Very few countries have published national standards of this calibre, and I am sure that other destinations will look to South Africa for knowledge and leadership in this field.”

“South Africa has helped pioneer Responsible Tourism on the worldwide stage – our job now is to mainstream it.”

CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold says Cape Town Tourism welcomed the announcement of a National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism by National Government:

“For many years, Cape Town Tourism has been a key stakeholder in the drive to raise awareness of good practice for responsible tourism in the Mother City. Working closely with the City of Cape Town, and other stakeholders, Cape Town Tourism has prioritised sustainability as a guiding principle of growth in all aspects of tourism. “

“In 2002 the Cape Town Declaration was developed as the foundation for a responsible tourism charter. In 2009, this charter was realised with The Responsible Tourism Policy for the City of Cape Town, which seeks to guide growth that is sustainable. 2009 also saw Cape Town recognised as the “Best Destination” in the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards.”

In line with this, many Cape Town tour operators and businesses have already embraced the principles of responsible tourism as a way of life and doing business as opposed to offering this as “just another niche offering”.

“South Africa is a country with rich natural resources and a diverse cultural heritage. In Cape Town we recognize this daily as some of Cape Town’s busiest urban centres share space with natural attractions such as Table Mountain National Park and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. These are Cape Town treasures, which must be managed effectively if they are to carry on inspiring locals and attracting international visitors.”

“We urge tourism organisations in Cape Town to get behind the guidelines of the Minimum Standards Act for a brighter Cape Town future, and we hope to see responsible and sustainable initiatives coming to the fore beyond the guidelines provided by National Government and local tourism authorities”, she concluded.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE