As travellers become increasingly mindful of the impact of their travel, tour operators have a vital role to play, not only in raising awareness but also in selecting suppliers with the most sustainable practices. Tessa Reed reports.
Unless Africa’s wilderness offering is conserved, the tourism industry won’t survive, so it’s up to the people packaging and selling the destination to ensure its long-term sustainability.
This is the message from Dr Sue Snyman, Group Community and Culture Manager and Project Director for Children in the Wilderness, and Janine Southwood, Head of Thompsons Africa’s Luxury Collection, who point out that without sustainability, the tourism sector will not survive. Snyman says particularly eco-tourism relies on the industry to look after the resources that people are coming to see, or the tourism product will cease to exist.
“If we don’t look after our destination, both from an environmental and conservation perspective, in a short space of time, there will not be much to promote with pride and purpose,” says Southwood.
CEO of ReturnAfrica, Peter John Massyn, says it’s up to tour operators to reinforce the importance of sustainability in the market and to select product and partners that have sustainable practices. He says operators should also ensure that their own businesses are run in a sustainable manner with an internal practice of fair trade.
It’s a role that many local DMCs take seriously. “We need to be responsible and accountable and take an educational role with our overseas tour operators, so that awareness is spread into our markets,” says Suzanne Benadie, Sales and Marketing Director for Tourvest Destination Management’s Your Africa division. Southwood says it is the role of DMCs to ensure they encourage and pro-actively support sustainable and responsible practices.
Increasingly, travellers themselves are becoming more mindful of the impact of their travel.
It’s a development that has been welcomed by operators specialising in eco-tourism. “We are encouraged to see a growing consciousness of eco-travellers who are a lot more educated and empowered about what type of holiday they are expecting and the overall impact it has on the planet,” says Dave Bennett, Chief of Sales at Wilderness Safaris. He adds that this awareness impacts travellers’ choice of accommodation and camps, as well as their interest in hearing more about Wilderness Safaris’ sustainability ethos pre, during and post their trip.”
Tourvest Destination Management Contracting Manager, Guido Roeschlau, says the increasing awareness is evident when looking at the requests for interacting with cultural communities, financial support for schools and orphanages as well as financial support for and involvement in environmental organisations.
The increased awareness is forcing the industry to become more accountable. Says Lauren Ritchie, CEO of Rare Earth: “We are frequently asked questions ranging from where we source our produce to the impact on the surrounding communities and what we are doing in terms of preserving the ecological landscape.”
Sally Kernick, Marketing Manager for Idube is also finding that more travellers are asking questions about the communities surrounding the lodge as well as about its sustainability practices. She says guests ask how many schools there are in the area and also what the lodge does with its waste.
Massyn speculates that the increased awareness among travellers is driven in part by the challenges the planet is facing, including climate change. “People are more aware,” he says, adding that movements, including the fair trade and responsible tourism movements, have become more mainstream and helped raise awareness. “There is a growing group of travellers who are more aware of the impact they are having in the world, environmentally, socially and commercially.”
Bennett says as globalisation flattens the uniqueness of culture, more and more travellers to Africa will seek out unique human interaction that is real and rare. “A large part of this will be the opportunity to immerse oneself in totally different cultures, to not only focus on self-development but also giving back for the greater good.” According to him, responsible operators need to remain true to offering authentic cultural and safari experiences that genuinely change people’s lives.
According to Roeschlau, travellers who are aware of their impact genuinely want to play a part in protecting what is left and uplifting what has been or still is being suppressed. “The tourism industry is the vehicle or medium that can safely bring these guests to their desired destination and serve as a source of information as to what can be done and how best it should be done to have the maximum benefit,” he says.
However, Kernick points out that the increased awareness is limited to certain markets, while Massyn says travel with a positive impact is still a secondary motivation, with travellers first seeking a great travel experience and then looking for one with a positive impact.
Karien le Grand, Tourvest Destination Management Product Development Manager, says that while travellers want to have a real connection with local communities and to limit the negative impact on the environment, unfortunately travelling responsibly is not top of mind with the majority of travellers yet.
Sharing information
Snyman highlights the leading role Africa is playing when it comes to sustainable tourism, pointing out that South America is looking to learn from Africa. Within the tourism sector on the continent, there is also an initiative to benchmark sustainable practices, with the view to sharing learnings. Snyman says sharing information helps everyone improve their offering.
Snyman also points out that there is a real problem of green washing, where businesses claim they have sustainable practices when they don’t. This is one of the reasons that Wilderness Safaris produces as integrated report on sustainability each year, she says, adding that it is a tool to monitor and evaluate the business.
While sharing information is valuable for driving sustainable practices, Le Grand points out that not all suppliers are sharing their sustainability practices. “So many accommodation suppliers are not making their environmental and community projects or their green policies easily available,” she says, questioning whether perhaps suppliers see this as less important than listing their facilities.
