Sunday, August 10, 2014

Tourism and Community Development : A look back at Cape Town, SA through the Heart of a Warrior

As I recall the places I travelled, for this year's World Tourism Day, I chose to write how I left Cape Town with a warrior's heart.
We were  at anchor in Cape Town when the South African icon Nelson Mandela passed away last December 2013. The ship's traffic can be an indicator that Cape Town's economy is indeed booming and beaming. Is it because of tourism? Partly, YES, because the place is  well endowed with Mother Nature's bounty.
Safari Tour
When we signed off from the ship, we explored the place and the country side.
Passing by this beautiful vineyard in Groot Contantia for the wine tour,  and Kristenbosch Botanical Garden, left me in awe of how it helped improved the life of the locals as I saw them working around with pride and joy.
Moving forward with the tour, while in one of the Shopping malls, I came across with this one, something that I fell in love with, more than the shoes itself, but the caption in the shoe box, that caught my attention and touched my heart." A Thread of Hope"...If all the tourist and the locals will patronize these products that were painstakingly  hand made by the women in South Africa, their lives will significantly improve while honing their skills, and chasing  their dreams  for a better  future. Buying local also means that you are taking a piece of the place with you.
The arts and crafts display at the Waterfront, depicts the South African artistry and made me realize that we are all different but we are all beautiful.
 An equal opportunity to share God's given talent and show case to the world will surely make a lot of difference in the lives of the locals. For Cape Town, their genuine programs for sound and sustainable green tourism brought the lives of the community to a notch higher. 
True to the lyrics of the song that "diamonds are forever"... One of the world's best and finest came from Cape Town.
Cape Town is a place where the mountain meets the sea. For the adrenalin junkies  the adventures at the Table Mountain Park will definitely be a tourist delight.
A trip to the Mariner's wharf  made me experience the perfect symbiotic relationship between the tourist and the locals.
As I watched some of the local boys enjoying the sea and the sun, I realized that the simple things in life are precious, priceless, and profound. On this note, I wish to commend the people of Cape Town for a good protocol on environmental protection and preservation, with a "responsible tourism" program  worthy to emulate.(http://www.responsibletourismpartnership.org/CapeTown.html)
There's more to these photos that meets the eyes. More than the photos and memories from the trip, a warrior's heart never forgets the lessons learned. 
 For a place with so much to offer, tourism is a boon. It does not only change the life of the communities involved but it has also changed the life of the tourist as well.


Safari Tour Image Credits: cape town magazine.com
Note: Post entry to the World Tourism Day Blogger Competition 2014 http://wtd.unwto.org/content/wtd-blogger-competition-wtd2014
Word Count: 498

1 comment:

  1. I really like your blog. It is full of information. I appreciated your work. I’m tourist and recently came back from my two day trips from nyc with my business partner. Your shared images are very nice present the beauty of this town. I have never chance to go Capa Town before but after reading your blog I want to go there as soon as possible. I hope it will be memorable for me.

    ReplyDelete