Amadiba Adventures Track RecordThe trail is highly regarded not only because it traverses
some of the most spectacular sections of coastline that
the Wild Coast has to offer, but also because of its
special significance as a model for community centred
tourism. | |
Amadiba Adventures is a community-based tourism
initiative. All facilities and services are entirely owned
and operated by local people in the form of micro-
enterprises. Part of the proceeds from the trails is
invested in a Community Trust Fund for the improvement of
health, education and infrastructure in the area. For the
local people it creates an opportunity to participate in
all aspects of tourism, from planning and implementation
to operation and management. It presents an alternative to
large-scale investor-driven development where large
resorts monopolise the benefits from the influx of
tourists to their region. | |
'The Initiative' was started in 1997 in consultation with
the Amadiba people and local government structures, and
with the support of Ntsika Enterprise Promotions Agency.
The view was to introduce a particular type of tourist to
the region ?? someone who was genuinely interested in
meeting the people and learning from them, in coming to
understand the environment and history of the region, and
in leaving spiritually and culturally enriched. | |
In just 18 months, Amadiba Adventures has provided a
blueprint for further expansion of community tourism
ventures in the Transkei. The South African Department of
Environment and Tourism, in partnership with the European
Union, has embarked on a four-year programme to facilitate
and promote community-based tourism in the region. The
programme holds tremendous potential and will enable the
extension of the horse and hiking trails to eventually
traverse the entire 280km of the Wild Coast. Other projects
will include the establishment of community eco-lodges and
campsites, and improved tourism infrastructure linking
information and tourism centers in the region.
The trail has been highly commended by ??Out
There??, ??Getaway?? and the ??African Environment and
Wildlife Magazine??. | |
Amadiba has been identified by the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Fair Trade in
Tourism Initiative, as one of the role models for the
region, embodying their principles of fair share,
transparency, sustainability and reliability. In an audit
conducted by the Department of Environment Affairs and
Tourism, the Amadiba project was judged the most
significant operating community tourism project in South
Africa. In December 2000 Amadiba Adventures also won the
CPPP (Community Public Private Partnership) Presidential
award. | |
The core principle of the initiative is respect. Respect
for people, for place and for the relationship between the
two. The focus is on the tourism sector; an industry
explicitly based on interaction between people and the
natural environment - one which has, historically,
excluded and alienated the majority of the population in
South Africa. The aim is to work towards developing a
broader, more holistic vision for the region, with tourism
as the driving force, and to involve the local communities
in an interactive and integrated experience.
Your experience will assist in developing sustainable low
impact tourism focused on genuine participation. | |
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