Coast KZN

Southern Explorer is excited to be rebranding the KZN South Coast through the private sector, leading the way to market the destination as a ‘Green Tourism Belt’.

Today tourism is the most significant part of our local economy and we want our forward-looking policies to ensure that our natural and cultural resources will be protected and attractive to tourists for years to come.

Tourism and environmental sustainability are fast becoming natural partners, their agendas increasingly intertwined. No other industry has to walk the narrow line of environmentally responsible growth as carefully as the tourism industry. Environmentally savvy tourists are seeking out green tourist destinations – those that make a proactive effort to address the various critical issues.

A recent survey found that 64 percent of respondents consider environmental issues when booking a trip and 82 percent are willing to pay more for green services and products. Leading tour operators are giving marketing and booking preference to environmentally sustainable destinations and demanding higher green standards from hotels and resorts.

Destinations that turn a blind eye to sustainable practices risk depleting their resources and shortsightedly under-investing in the preservation of their natural assets.

The Southern Explorer does not want to be another glossy brochure and online platform, with vague ‘eco-speak’. This will neither attract savvy travelers nor protect valuable resources. Instead, destinations should strive for meaningful change by proactively pursuing sustainable environmental policies and practices.

If they fail to do so, mounting environmental costs may soon outweigh tourism’s economic benefits – a daunting prospect in our increasingly interconnected world.