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World
Tourism Day will take place on 27 September 2010, in
South Africa not only do we recognise the day but we
dedicate the entire month of September to raising
awareness on the importance of tourism to the
economy of the country. The worldwide theme this
year is Tourism and Biodiversity, this theme
provides an opportunity to bring attention and
understanding of the importance of biodiversity in
sustainable tourism.
Did you know that South Africa has the third-highest
level of biodiversity in the world? According to the
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI),
we are the proud custodians of over 19,500
indigenous plants and approximately 60,000 species
of animals. For us in the tourism industry, these
biodiversity assets are not taken for granted as
they are the primary allure of South Africa as a
destination.
Sadly these natural resources are under constant
threat, by way of example, Rhino poaching is
approaching epidemic levels, just this year alone,
188 animals have been lost to poaching - not a small
number considering that there are only 23 000 Rhinos
left in the world.
Read about TTG’s involvement in conservation in the
story of our subsidiary Waterfront Boat Company’s
admirable work with the release of rehabilitated
African Penguins. We are also honoured to be part of
a tripartite relationship with SANParks and Concor
at Cape Point. During the week of 13-17 September,
SANParks will be offering free access to all
National Parks including Cape Point; get more
information about this offer in our specials
section.
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