16/04/2024

Press Releases

WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards Highlight the continent's Sustainability Trailblazers at Africa Travel Week 2024


Events

Cape Town, 15 April 2024  The winners of the prestigious World Travel Market Africa (WTMA) Responsible Tourism Awards were announced at Africa Travel Week 2024 in Cape Town. Bangu Masisi of Transfrontier Parks Destinations revealed the honorees, celebrating businesses and initiatives that are making a positive impact through responsible tourism practices.

"These awards are integral to WTM Africa's responsible tourism programme, and spotlighting those that have truly made a difference is important for the encouragement of others to do the same," said Masisi.

Alderman James Vos opened the awards ceremony, congratulating the winners and emphasising the importance of sustainable business practices in the tourism industry. "When it comes to sustainable business practices, let's keep pushing those boundaries," said Vos. 

The 2024 awards included six categories, with gold and silver winners presented with trophies created by Ngwenya Glass, five of eight global winners came from Africa in the Global Responsible Tourism Awards in 2023.

Harold Goodwin, WTM Africa's responsible tourism advisor and one of the judges, said, "Congratulations to the winners. I am also very excited about those acknowledged as 'ones to watch' in the awards. Those are often new ideas from new people, and it's very exciting to see these businesses come to the fore."

The winners of the World Travel Market Africa (WTMA) Responsible Tourism Awards  2024 are:

  1. NATURE POSITIVE 

Gold: Denis Private Island – Seychelles 

Denis Private Island was recognised for its holistic approach to sustainable tourism, which prioritises the restoration and conservation of the island's natural habitats and wildlife. The eco-lodge's operations fund this work and are driven by the owners' deep commitment to the Seychelles' environmental heritage.

Silver: !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre – South Africa 

One to Watch: HBD Príncipe - São Tomé and Príncipe

One to Watch: Plett Ocean – South Africa 

  1. EMPLOYING AND UPSKILLING LOCAL COMMUNITIES 

Gold: Grootbos Lodge & the Green Futures College – South Africa 

The Grootbos Foundation won a Responsible Tourism Award for leveraging tourism to drive sustainable development. Funded by the business and donors, the foundation has provided training to over 200 graduates, entrepreneurship support to nearly 1,000 individuals, and empowered female biodiversity stewards. These initiatives demonstrate the foundation's commitment to investing in local communities and conserving the unique fynbos ecosystem.

Silver: Save Wildlife - Uganda 

One to Watch: Matoke Tours – Uganda 

One to Watch HBD: Príncipe - São Tomé and Príncipe

  1. MAKING TRAVEL INCLUSIVE 

Gold: Warrior on Wheels Foundation – South Africa 

Warrior on Wheels won a Responsible Tourism Award for its work providing empowering sport and adventure experiences for children with disabilities, changing perceptions and bridging gaps between able-bodied and differently-abled communities. As a not-for-profit reliant on sponsorships and partnerships, Warrior on Wheels has hosted over 89 experiences for more than 100 families since its founding eight years ago. 

One to Watch: Bontel Adventures – Kenya 

  1. INCREASING LOCAL SOURCING – CREATING SHARED VALUE 

Gold: Okavango Gin

Okavango Gin won a Responsible Tourism Award for its sustainable and community-focused practices. The gin uses locally sourced ingredients, is distilled off-grid, and incorporates recycled materials - creating an authentic product that supports the local economy. The company's innovative approach has driven 75% revenue growth and now employs six people directly, with additional jobs in the supply chain. The judges were impressed by how Okavango Gin captures the essence of the Okavango Delta while delivering a positive impact.

Silver: Muhabura Cultural Experience and Craft Centre – Uganda 

  1. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?

Gold: Ecodrop – Zimbabwe

Ecodrop won a Responsible Tourism Award for its innovative solution to eliminate single-use plastic bottles in Southern Africa's tourism sector. Ecodrop provides reverse osmosis water dispensers and reusable bottles, removing over 72,000 plastic bottles at Victoria Falls in just ten months. The judges were impressed by Ecodrop's scalable, destination-level system that reduces waste and petroleum demand, showcasing the viability of this model in tackling plastic pollution in tourism.

Silver: Century City Conference Centre – South Africa 

One to Watch: Sunsail and The Moorings

  1. CHAMPIONING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Gold: Trip to Help - Kenya & Tanzania 

Trip to Help, a travel agency in East and North Africa, won a responsible tourism award for its sustainable and ethical practices. The company's mission is to "Travel Consciously, Sustainably and Fairly," offering experiences that benefit local communities. Trip to Help ensures 80% of payments go directly to the local economy, and the people they work with earn a living wage. The company also supports over 3,000 children's access to free education, including English lessons, in Maasai areas, contributing to its industry recognition.

Silver: Traditional African Homestays - South Africa 

One to Watch: Come Make We Go – Nigeria 

One to Watch: Cultural Oneness Festival Ghana

The Gold winners in the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards being presented here now are automatically entered into the Sabre Global Responsible Tourism Awards. 

 

-ENDS-

 

Issued by: Big Ambitions 

Contact: Sonnette Fourie

Tel: +27 81 072 2869 

Email: sonnette@bigambitions.co.za 

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.

 

WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.

Next in-person event: 5 to 7 November 2024 at ExCel London

http://london.wtm.com/

 

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 31st year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2023 welcomed over 40,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai

Next in-person event: 6 to 9 May 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai

https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html    

Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 6 to 12 May, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as a series of country forums. 

https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html     

WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.

Next event: 15 to 17 April 2024 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil

http://latinamerica.wtm.com/

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa.  In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.

Next event: 10 to 12 April 2024 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/

 

About ATW Connect:  Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.

https://atwconnect.com/

WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/

About RX  

RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people.  RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com. 

 
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RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. 

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