“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein
Let’s get serious for a moment. Okay? Are you with me?
We tell you a lot about Africa’s luxury lodges, wild adventures and tasty food. But today is World Responsible Tourism Day (which it is every day for us…) and we’ll be switching to matters of the earth. About protecting it. And we don’t mean just hugging a tree.
World Responsible Tourism Day 2012
Today sees the whole world joining in, with thousands of travel companies, destinations, organisations, employees and suppliers the world over, across various sectors, coming together to support responsible tourism at the 2012 World Travel Market (WTM). Tourism is the largest industry in the world afterall.
This year, the World Travel Market, sponsored by BBC World News, is in London and includes three days (6-8 November) of debates and events dedicated to creating a new way of thinking about tourism and developing it further in a greener, more responsible direction. It aims to be the most comprehensive, thought-provoking agenda on responsible tourism on the planet. With pressures mounting from a growth in environmental disasters, a lack of fresh water and increasing poverty… it’s a much needed agenda. Read more on the WTM website!
David Ryan (in red, bottom left) helping tag rhinos at Phinda Private Game Reserve
Rhino Africa
At Rhino Africa, we get to travel to the many wild and natural corners of Africa. And we send our clients out into the wild to do the same. We hope to do more than just this though, as the most important thing for us is that we leave a meaningful legacy for Africa.
Africa’s most precious tourism resources are our wildlife and landscapes. We need to protect these resources, not only for future generations but for the future of the tourism industry in Africa. While tourism can impact negatively on the environment, through the construction of safari lodges and activities such as game drives and helicopter flips, our goal is to find ways to minimise that impact and ensure that the benefits of tourism for communities and for conservation outweigh any negative effects. The lodges and hotels we recommend to guests (such as Wilderness Safaris who focus on the 4C’s – Conservation, Community, Commerce and Culture), echo this in their practices, from utilising solar and wind energy, to pioneering electric game vehicles and leading mobile tented safaris that touch lightly on the earth.
From the wild waters of the Okavango to the dunes of the Namibian desert, from eco-friendly city hotels to private wildlife reserves in the bush, tourism done responsibly can create positive change.
Our Role in Responsible Tourism:
- Rhino Africa is a responsible company and we believe passionately in Sustainable Tourism – we seek to minimise our day to day carbon footprint and energy consumption and are the only African Tour operator to have achieved Gold level accreditation through the Heritage Environmental Management Company. Read more about our green practices here.
- We work extensively to help save our namesake – the rhino – from extinction and to put an end to poaching in Africa. For example – by raising support, funds and awareness on World Rhino Day and Challenge4aCause, our annual cycling event which raises money to support the conservation of Africa’s endangered animal and plant species and finances projects that uplift poor communities. Watch the videos here – 2011 & 2012.
- Charities that we support include Save The Rhino Trust, Wildlife ACT, Good Work Foundation as well as Khumbulani Day Care, Little Lambs Day Care, Santa’s Shoebox and The Ark. Watch our video about rhino tagging and monitoring with Wildlife ACT!
- Read more about our sustainable tourism here and our feature in Spotlight Magazine here for our doing good efforts.
The Responsible Rhino Tour
We seek to partner with companies that share the same sustainable outlook with us and have compiled an itinerary – The Responsible Rhino Tour – as a guide to having a greener African holiday.
- This tour gives travellers a hands on experience so to make a real, tangible difference. You’ll spend a full day in Cape Town helping on volunteer projects and a full day in Livingstone, Zambia, volunteering on a community project near the Victoria Falls. Of course there’s also the thrill of an African safari in the Kruger National Park. Plus much more. Read about the itinerary on our website.
- The hotels and lodges in this tour are passionate about social development and being eco-friendly. We will offset the carbon footprint of your travels by donating a percentage of our profits to community upliftment and wildlife conservation.
- All our tours are tailor-made to suit your needs, so if you are concerned about the environment and social upliftment, just like we are, then be sure to contact one of our consultants know and they’ll make every effort to tailor-make your own responsible tour.
Our valued clients enable us to use tourism revenue to drive positive change in Africa. Come on a journey with us and help save Africa’s endangered species.