Competition rewards responsible tourism initiatives
uMhlathuze's tourism Small Medium Enterprises receive their share of a quarter of a million rand prize money
SIX local waste and tourism small medium enterprises (SME’s) received their share of R250 000 when the winners of the uMhlathuze Responsible Tourism Challenge Competition were announced at a gala dinner in Richards Bay.
The competition was hosted by the City of uMhlathuze Municipality in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Enterprises participating in the challenge benefited from the Sustainable Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) training modules and were awarded cash prizes for their implementation of particularly innovative ‘responsible tourism’ initiatives.
The overall winners in the waste category were Uthando Solutions and Trading (Pty) Ltd, who received R45 000, Vee Reddy Recycling R20 000 and Re- Living Cop 17 NPO R10 000, while tourism establishment Umhambi Lodge won R60 000, Umqhele Bed & Breakfast R50 000 and Isibaya Guest Lodge R20 000.
The city is highly reliant on jobs and income that tourism brings, whether it be through leisure and wildlife visitors at the weekend or business and conference guests during the week.
The desire to achieve development in a sustainable way, and to promote respect for the National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism (NMSRT) 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 area.
SCORE Training in South Africa is designed to address two interlinked challenges impacting tourism enterprises, the practical implementation of the NMSRT and improving workplace cooperation and workplace practices in tourism enterprises as a driver for sustainability, productivity, competitiveness and job creation.
