Deadline Looms for Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards

Tourism and hospitality businesses in Africa have until Friday 31 August to enter the 2012 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards programme. Imvelo awards businesses that implement sustained responsible tourism programmes.
Organised by the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA) in conjunction with Absa, the National Department of Tourism, Eskom, the Industrial Development Corporation and the Department of Water Affairs, Imvelo is open to any type of tourism and hospitality business.
FEDHASA Chairman, Eddy Khosa says Imvelo is now the leading responsible tourism project in South Africa and has made a huge impact on the industry.
Imvelo means ‘nature’ in South Africa’s Nguni languages. According to Khosa, the awards are in line with the National Minimum Standard for Responsible Tourism and the UN World Tourism Organisation’s code of ethics, and are supported by the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme.
 He says Imvelo has created significant awareness of environmental management issues in the tourism industry. “Over the years, the awards have found and recognised world-class examples of responsible tourism practice.”
Awards will be made in the following categories: Best Social Involvement Programme; Best Practice – Economic Impact; Best Overall Environmental Management System and Best Single Resource Management Programme – for Water, Energy and Waste, Most Empowered Tourism Business and Investing in People. An overall Imvelo winner will be selected.
 A Chairman’s Award could be made at the discretion of the FEDHASA chairman, to any Imvelo entrant or any other organisation in the tourism industry that made a significant contribution to responsible tourism over the past year. Entrants may enter in more than one category, but entries must stipulate the category/categories that apply.
Entries will be judged by a panel of specialists in responsible tourism practice and finalists will be visited personally to verify and evaluate their entries.
Winners will receive their awards at an awards ceremony to be held in Johannesburg on 31 October.
For more information, contact Cheryl Stevens on 0861 333 628 or visit www.imveloawards.co.za.