8 Ways to Practice Responsible Tourism in Cape Town

Gone are the days of being fooled into buying things we don’t need! In the age of information, consumers are smarter than ever before. Not only are they smarter about their own needs but an increasing social and environmental awareness means that people are interested in the overall impact of their behavior. This influences the demand for products and services we consume and the tourism sector is no exception. Responsible tourism, simply put, is about creating great destinations that are both better to visit and live in, and it’s everybody’s business! It involves local government, the tourism sector, visitors and residents working together to ensure that tourism leaves a lasting positive impact on the environment and socio-economic climate of the destination city.

In 1996, South Africa became the first country to include responsible tourism in legislation and in 2009; Cape Town won the award for “Best Destination” at the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards. The Cape Town Declaration of Responsible Tourism was also adopted as the world definition. While this is some indication that the city is in the forefront of responsible tourism globally, there is still lots of work to be done in order to claim worthiness of the award.

Some of the initiatives put in place by the city during the 2010 World Cup to promote responsible tourism include Zibi bins (or public recycling bins), the upgrading of the city centre, construction of walkways and deployment of CCID security to make the city safer and more pedestrian friendly as well the Integrated Rapid Transport System (MyCiTi buses). However, it remains to be seen if these and other initiatives can be sustained in the long run!

That all sounds great, but you’re probably wondering what you can do? Well, for most of Connect-123’s Cape Town program participants, half the job is done! By the very nature of the work that you do at your host organizations, your visit to Cape Town is in some way contributing to improving the economic, social and environmental climate in the city. But as you know, there is always more you can do, so here are our top 8 tips:

1. Learn the lingo: Connect-123 recently started offering introductory Xhosa lessons. Why not join the class to learn to greet colleagues at your host organization in their home language? It’ll be sure to both impress and amuse them.

2. Local is “lekker”: Buy crafts and souvenirs from markets rather than major shopping malls to ensure proceeds go straight back into the communities. Buying locally produced goods saves money and is less harmful to the environment. Try All Gold ketchup! It’s Proudly South African and is just as good as Heinz J

3. Maximum respect: Ask permission before photographing people.

4. Paint the township red: consider going on a township tour. Organizations such as Andulela arrange packages with various interactive activities such as drumming, beading and soccer.

5. Be streetwise: never give money to beggars on the street. Choose a reputable charity if you wish to donate money to a worthy cause.

6. Quench your thirst: Drink tap water. South African tap water is the third best in the world!

7. Green fingers: Plant a tree during Arbor Week, the first week in September, to help offset your carbon foot.

8. Don’t be a pickpocket: The shells look prettier on the beach than they would on your window sill at home and flowers are always most beautiful on the plants from which they blossom. Take a picture instead!

Remember that while your stay in Cape Town may be relatively short, 4 million people call it home! So let’s all show the Mother City the respect she deserves!

Understanding why people seek new and meaningful experiences overseas is easy for Eimear. While completing her languages degree at university in Dublin, she spent summers working in France, Spain and the UK, and studied at the University of Bordeaux for a year. Her previous role as an international Marketing Manager for a US multi-national took her to North America and all over Europe, while her itchy feet took her to Central America and Japan in her spare time. Eimear gets a real kick out of matching the right person to the right opportunity – and loves seeing interns fall under Cape Town’s spell, just as she has done.