Transfrontier Parks Destinations won the award for Best Tour Operator, and Grootbos won the award for the Best Accommodation. Marine Dynamics, another Western Cape tourism business, received a Highly Commended in the awards ceremony.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is a luxury eco-reserve located close to the Southern tip of Africa. The lodge is situated on 2500 hectares of wilderness, containing 791 plant species, of which 100 are endangered and 6 which were newly discovered in the reserve, 3 Milkwood forests which are over 100 years old, and 6 mammals of conservation concern. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve has also won numerous awards including being named as one of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World.
Marine Dynamics is a shark cage tour operator in Gansbaai. Dedicated to promoting conservation, Marine Dynamics guarantee a marine biologist aboard every shark cage diving trip. They are also the only such company that has a registered conservation trust. Marine Dynamics has already received, including most recently, the African Responsible Tourism Award of Best for Wildlife Conservation 2016.
Transfrontier Parks Destinations, which is based in Cape Town, works in Southern Africa’s Transfrontier Peace Parks and adjacent areas. They are committed to the creation of a sustainable business model that becomes an asset for local communities.
Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris said: “We are extremely proud of the performance of these three businesses today. They have represented the Cape and South Africa well, and demonstrated the enormous value of building and nurturing sustainable tourism in our country.”
“Tourism remains an important economic contributor to both our provincial and national economy, boosting economic growth and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. We encourage other companies to be motivated by these excellent results, and continue to work hard in building a sustainable tourism economy.”