The V&A Waterfront clinched the global award at the highly contested World Responsible Tourism Awards held in London on Monday, 1 November 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”.
The V&A’s Award was given in recognition of the Waterfront’s efforts to sustaining employees and communities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the category, judges looked at the work done by businesses and organisations in the travel and tourism sector to sustain their employees and the communities in which they operate. The aim of this category is to recognise and draw attention to those who successfully helped others, employees and neighbours alike to weather the Covid-19 storm.
Speaking about the award, V&A Waterfront CEO David Green said, ‘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,’ Green said.
‘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.’
‘It is a great honour to be recognised for what we have done. An award of this stature is a significant win not just for the Waterfront, but for Cape Town and for our entire tourism industry as it proves that we can hold our own against the best innovative and trendsetting destinations in the world.’
2022 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, to which the Waterfront was a signatory.
Picture: Wikimedia Commons
There are a number of fantastic Waterfront restaurants that you can explore.
