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Member News | Rethinking tourism: creating meaningful experiences and local impact
Tourism can generate significant economic value for destinations, but its impact extends beyond visitor spending. The way travel experiences are designed can influence local employment, community development, cultural preservation and environmental sustainability. This has increased interest in socially responsible tourism, which considers how tourism can create value for both visitors and the communities and environments that host them.
Socially responsible tourism is not simply about adding a community visit or conservation activity to an itinerary. It involves considering who benefits from tourism, how travellers engage with local communities and how experiences contribute to the destination. The approach can provide travellers with a deeper understanding of the people, organisations and initiatives shaping a country.
In South Africa, this creates opportunities to look beyond established attractions and engage with the country's cultural communities, conservation projects, agricultural sector, universities and social development initiatives.
Encounters by 7th Sense Travel has developed its offering around this approach. Complementing 7th Sense Travel's expertise in corporate incentive travel, events and tailor-made leisure journeys, Encounters creates personalised programmes for small groups based on specific interests and objectives.
Experiences range from cultural immersion, wellness and botanical journeys to agricultural study tours, university learning programmes and conservation-focused safaris. Rather than relying on standardised itineraries, programmes connect travellers with local organisations, practitioners, researchers and community leaders, providing access to perspectives and experiences that may not be available through conventional tourism channels.
Through its partnership with The Together Trust, an NGO involved in community development initiatives, Encounters can also connect travellers with projects where they can engage with local development efforts.
For businesses and travellers increasingly considering the wider impact of their choices, this model demonstrates how tourism can combine economic activity with learning, local engagement and support for existing initiatives. It shifts the focus from simply where people travel to how they experience a destination and the value their presence can create.
https://www.seventh-sense.co.za/
Disclaimer: This article is an external contribution and was not produced by the French South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FSACCI). The views, opinions, and statements expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of FSACCI.
