Responsible Tourism Manual - Tourism Knowledge Portal

The views expressed within this manual remain those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) or the
individuals and organisations that contributed to the compilation of the manual. Neither the
authors nor DEAT accept any responsibility in relation to any information or advice provided
herein or as a consequence of anything contained herein.
OVERVIEW
This manual aims to provide established as well as community-based tourism enterprises (CBTEs)
with information about “responsible tourism” and the opportunities that it presents for
improving business performance. Specific to South Africa, and in line with current international
best practice, the authors have collected a range of practical and cost-effective responsible
actions available to tourism businesses and tourism associations. The manual refers to many
useful sources of information and examples of best practice that can help to guide users’
implementation of responsible business activities.
Users of this manual should not attempt to implement all of the options outlined in this manual.
They should rather read the manual as a menu of options that can be used to achieve more
responsible business. The contents of this manual are thus intended to initiate a process – of
working responsibly, setting targets, self-monitoring and showcasing achievements to customers,
staff, the tourism sector, suppliers, neighbours and other relevant parties.
By developing and operating tourism more responsibly, South Africa will progress towards the
sustainable growth of its tourism sector. This year, South Africa is hosting the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, which creates an opportunity for South
Africa to showcase its achievements in sustainable use of natural resources, poverty alleviation
and sustainable economic development (www.joburgsummit2002.com). Immediately prior to the
WSSD, Cape Town will host a conference on “Responsible Tourism in Destinations”. South Africa
will promote its “Responsible Tourism” ethic to the world (www.capetourism.org) at this
conference. It is envisaged that a responsible tourism charter will be developed at this
conference and subsequently showcased at the WSSD.
This is the first edition of the “Responsible Tourism Manual for South Africa”. The Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) intend that the contents of the manual will be
updated and improved continuously, to render it user friendly and relevant to sector trends and
developments. Please help DEAT to improve this manual by sending feedback, suggestions,
examples of best practice and/or other comments to:
The Project Leader: Responsible Tourism in South Africa
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Private Bag X447
Pretoria, 0001
South Africa
fax comments to +27 (0)12 320 4740
or email jkotze@deat.gov.za
The consultation process that led to the development of this manual generated a great deal of
enthusiasm for responsible tourism amongst stakeholders in the tourism sector. It is hoped
that users of this manual will share this enthusiasm and help to make South Africa the world’s
Number One Responsible Tourism Destination!
Responsible Tourism Manual for South Africa 2