The 2015 uMhlathuze Responsible Tourism Challenge

On 11 June 2015, the Municipality of uMhlathuze, in partnership with ILO, will officially launch the Responsible Tourism Challenge for tourism SMEs in the uMhlathuze Municipality of Kwa Zulu Natal. Enterprises participating in the challenge will benefit from SCORE Training (Module 1 and 2) and will have the chance to compete for financial support for the implementation of particularly innovative “responsible tourism” initiatives.

uMhlathuze, which is situated in Richards Bay, is highly reliant upon the jobs and income that tourism brings to the Municipality, whether it be through leisure and wildlife visitors at the weekend or business and conference guests during the week. The potential to grow this sector has been identified by the Municipality, but it is keen to ensure that this growth is achieved in a way that protects the natural assets and cultural points of interest of the region, as well as ensuring the community (as well as tourists) experience the benefits that such growth could bring. This approach is aligned with the principals underpinning the South Africa National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism (NMSRT), which sets out practical standards for tourism enterprises and operators to follow in relation to the natural environment, respect for and the conservation of local cultures and ways of life, the strengthening of local economies and a better quality of life for local people.

The desire to achieve sectoral development in a sustainable way, and to promote respect for the NMRST, led to a cooperation between the Municipality and the ILO SCORE project in early 2015, involving the introduction of SCORE training to a pilot cluster of tourism lodges in the Municipality. SCORE Training in South Africa is designed to address two interlinked challenges impacting tourism enterprises that were both seen as priorities for the Municipality: the practical implementation of the National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism (NMSRT); improving workplace cooperation and workplace practices in tourism enterprises as a driver for sustainability, productivity, competitiveness and job creation. The Challenge, which will run from June to October 2015, will build upon the success of this pilot SCORE Training, by meeting continued demand for SCORE Training and by more broadly raising awareness of the benefits of Responsible Tourism practices.

The Challenge has been brought to uMhlathuze through a partnership between public sector actors and the uMhlathuze Municipality), a number of local private sector sponsors (including PETCO, Audi Auto, , Responsible Tourism Foundation and BAHF Holdings) and two ILO projects - the Sustainable Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) and the SCORE project.