SA lodges in running for top awards

Two Cape venues are in the finals for a responsible tourism prize, writes Andrew Unsworth

Two South African lodges are amongst the 13 finalists in  this year’s World Responsible Tourism Awards.

They are !Xaus Lodge in the Kgalagadi of the Northern Cape and Bushman’s Kloof in the Western Cape. 

The awards, seen as the leading scheme for responsible tourism in the world, are made by Responsible Travel, and the winner will be announced at World Travel Market London in November.

Sustainable tourism has emerged as a growing trend in the past 15 years around the world.

Justin Francis, founder of the World Responsible Tourism Awards and CEO of organisers Responsible Travel, says: “In the early years of the awards, we saw the same people coming back year on year. Now, every judging day we have things we don’t know about, in sectors of the tourism industry we haven’t seen before, in places we haven’t seen before.

“This year we have seen levels of innovation that have surpassed our expectations, led by some truly entrepreneurial businesses. These are organisations that are using tourism as a counter to contemporary social problems, or translating ideas from other social businesses into the travel sector — they are pushing the boundaries of what responsible business can achieve.”

Last year South African resorts won a number of awards in different categories.

Gansbaai and its Tourism Association in the Western Cape won the gold award as the best destination for responsible tourism.

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Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, also in the Gansbaai area of the Western Cape, won a silver award in the best for poverty reduction category. Bushman’s Kloof also won a silver in the best cultural heritage attraction thanks to its magnificent collection of 130 documented rock art sites created by the San Bushmen.  

The full list of 2016 finalists:

• !Xaus Lodge, South Africa

• Burj Al Arab Aquarium, United Arab Emirates

• Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Resort, South Africa

• East African Safari & Touring Company, Tanzania

• Elevate Destinations, USA

• Friends International – Childsafe Movement, Cambodia

• Lemon Tree Hotels, India

• Misool Eco Lodge, Indonesia

• Sam Veasna Centre, Cambodia

• Sapa O’Chau, Vietnam

• Tren Ecuador, Ecuador

• Viaggi Solidali, Italy

• World Cetacean Alliance