Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is overall Imvelo Award winner

The Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism winners were announced last night at Sandton Sun in Johannesburg. It marked World Responsible Tourism Day and saw a huge turnout from across the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

Winners are as follows:

• Overall Winner – Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Co Ltd
• Best Social Involvement Programme (10 finalists) – Sun International Zambia, The Falls (group winner); African Impact (independent winner)
• Best Practice: Economic Impact (8 finalists) – Sun International Zambia, The Falls (group winner); The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre (independent winner)
• Best Single Resource Management Programme: Water (5 finalists) – Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort (winner)
• Best Single Resource Management Programme: Waste (7 finalists) – Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel (group winner); The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre (independent winner)
• Best Single Resource Management Programme: Energy (6 finalists) – Town Lodge Grayston Drive (winner)
• Best Overall Environmental Management System (9 finalists) – Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort (group winner); Nkomazi Game Reserve (highly commended)
• Most Empowered Tourism Business (5 finalists) – Southern Sun Hotels Interests (winner)
• Investor in People Award (7 finalists) – Vineyard Hotel & Spa (group winner); Motsethabo Tours (highly commended)
• Chairman’s Award – Lorraine Jenks of Hotelstuff/Greenstuff

The Imvelo Awards programme is organised by the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) in association with the National Department of Tourism and is supported by Absa, the Department of Water Affairs, Eskom, the Industrial Development Corporation and Don’t Waste Services.

It is now in its tenth year and has recognised numerous tourism businesses that demonstrate sustained responsible practice in their operations in terms of their natural, social and economic environments.

Brett Dungan, outgoing CEO of Fedhasa says of the overall winner: “The company has for many years been at the forefront of environmental stewardship, having been the first business in Africa to achieve Green Globe Certification and one of the first in tourism to achieve the ISO14001 certification through the SABS. It operates a high-impact business in one of the world’s most sensitive and iconic sites, one that is recognised as a World Heritage Site by the UNEP.

“This year the company has transported over 775 000 visitors to the mountain top, making it the Western Cape’s single most important tourist attraction, and nationally only second to the Kruger National Park. It has been a finalist and winner in various categories of Imvelo since 2005, and in spite of its size has managed to hold its own against significant competition for recognition.”

Dungan says this year’s entries were of a very high standard and 159 category entries were received with a total of 38 tourism businesses that made it to the finals.

“It is clear that after ten years, Imvelo is certainly making a huge impact on tourism in South Africa, creating significant awareness of environmental management issues in the industry. With tourism being South Africa’s new gold, Imvelo will continue to create awareness of the potential – but also the responsibility – of sustainable tourism,” he notes.

For more information and full list of finalists and their activities, go to www.imveloawards.co.za.