Cape Town is beaming with pride after the V&A Waterfront claimed the World Responsible Tourism global award at the prestigious event in London on Monday, November 1, 2021.
The awards, which forms part of the World Responsible Tourism Day celebrations, aims to recognise destinations that most strongly “educate, inspire and challenge others to spread good practice”, and the Waterfront is one of a handful of winners of the overall Global Award (award levels go from One to Watch, Silver, Gold then Global).
The V&A’s award was given in recognition of the Waterfront’s efforts to sustaining employees and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this is to recognise and draw attention to those who successfully helped others to weather the COVID-19 storm.
“From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic we knew we had a responsibility to support the many individuals and households who depend on us for their livelihood, particularly the micro enterprises such as our tour operators as well as the crafts and design stores at our Watershed market,” said V&A Waterfront CEO David Green.
“Our effort was to ease their financial burden beyond rent relief while we also pushed ahead with projects that would create new markets and jobs such as our Makers Landing space and our Joy from Africa to the World festive décor campaign,” he adds.
Green also expressed that it’s a great honour to be recognised, and an award of this magnitude is a significant win for the Waterfront and Cape Town alike. “It proves that we can hold our own against the best innovative and trendsetting destinations in the world.”
In 2014, the Waterfront won the World Responsible Tourism Award for Best Destination for Responsible Tourism, the V&A Waterfront states.
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Picture: V&A Waterfront