Plettenberg Bay has recently been certified as an official Whale Heritage Site (WHS), one of only three in South Africa to obtain the status.
The Western Cape town joins The Bluff and Algoa Bay as the third WHS in the country, and one of only seven fully accredited WHS designations worldwide.
The Plettenberg Hotel, part of The Liz McGrath Collection and a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, has noted an increased demand from guests wanting to experience whales and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Plettenberg Bay is also situated between two Marine Protected Areas (Tsitsikamma and Robberg) on the Garden Route. It supports diverse ocean wildlife, including Humpback whales, Southern Right whales, Bryde’s whales, Killer whales (Orcas) and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins.
Melissa Theron, GM of The Plettenberg Hotel, said the new-found WHS status was set to further elevate marine tourism in the Garden Route town, as it provided a clear marker for discerning guests wanting to support sustainable practices in marine culture, heritage, and biodiversity.
Whale Heritage Site programme
The WHS programme is an initiative created by the World Cetacean Alliance, and currently runs in partnership with World Animal Protection, to formally recognise and accredit destinations around the world that support and demonstrate the importance of cetaceans and their ocean habitats.
These sites empower and defend the right of local communities to care for and protect whales, dolphins and porpoises through a collaborative management partnership.
They showcase an entire community and their relationship with the ocean by encouraging respectful human-cetacean coexistence – celebrating cetaceans in local culture, arts and events; supporting local economic and environmental sustainability; and developing locally based science, research and education.
