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Cape Town - The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town was announced the winner of the international award for Best Destination for Responsible Tourism at the World Travel Market in London.
The award was given in recognition of the V&A Waterfront’s commitment and leadership in not only preserving the heritage of the property, but also its forward-thinking and -planning in terms of sustainable development.
“This award is significant for the entire tourism industry in South Africa. It shows that South Africa is taking its place as a world leader in responsible tourism,” said South African Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom.
“The V&A Waterfront has invested considerably to create energy efficiencies, water saving and waste recycling measures. This investment has paid off, not only by winning this prestigious award, but by ensuring that the Waterfront is sustainable well into the future. Other tourist destinations can learn much from how this has been achieved, and the V&A Waterfront will be an inspiration to become sustainable in their own way.”
The award aims to recognise destinations that most strongly reflect their unique community and environment by creating an exciting and memorable tourism experience. Other criteria for the award include being a place that uses tourism to create better places for people to live and visit.
The destination, be it a village, town, city, region or country, should inspire and promote responsible holiday experiences that celebrate and protect their destination.
The awards rest on a simple principle – that all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream – can and should be organised in a way that preserves, respects and benefits destinations and local people.
First founded in 2004, the World Responsible Tourism Awards have attracted over 12 000 nominations from members of the public, leading to 201 unique organisations from 51 countries around the world being awarded.
Shortlisted finalists this year include countries such as Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
“We regard it as our duty to future generations to constantly focus on sustainable practices, from reducing our carbon footprint to preserving our scarce energy and water reserves,” said V&A Waterfront CEO David Green.
Over the past three years, the V&A Waterfront has received a number of awards for its environmental initiatives, as well as the top Green Building Council of South Africa rating for both of its No. 1 and No. 2 Silo developments.
No. 1 Silo’s six-star rating is the highest sustainability achievement for any building in Cape Town.
- Fin24
