For Release June 13, 2007
Why did Academy-Award winner Forest Whitaker take 50 pair of shoes on a recent trip to South Africa?
The new and gently-used shoes were destined for an AIDS orphanage in South Africa as part of a program created by African Travel Inc. to provide hard- to-obtain shoes for both the children and staff. The program started with donations from African Travel’s staff who would donate a pair of gently-used shoes and transport them to Africa. Today more than 200 pairs have been delivered, and as more people learn about the program, more shoes will be on the way.
When Forest Whitaker heard about the program he took 50 pairs of African Travel’s shoes with him to South Africa where they were delivered to the Orlando Orphanage outside of Johannesburg. The inspiration for the shoe project came from Anne Bellamy, African Travel’s President, and illustrates just one facet of the company’s endeavors to promote socially-responsible and sustainable tourism.
Since 1976 the company has been a leader in custom designing travel to the African continent, all the while practicing a philosophy of its founder and managing director Dave Herbert, to “take only photos, leave only footprints.” In addition to the shoe project, and in keeping with its philosophy, African Travel encourages preservation and economic development through a number of activities: donating a portion of profits to wildlife conservation and cultural preservation, promoting education and community-based initiatives, and supporting the efforts of locally-based properties that encourage conservation and community development.
The company has also taken the lead in developing low-density tourism, bringing discerning travelers to lesser-visited areas in order to decrease the impact on fragile wildlife and eco-systems [ecology]. Maasi Mara Wilderness and Cheetah Outreach In keeping with the company’s dedication to giving back to the communities it works with, African Travel donates funds to The Cheetah Outreach Foundation in South Africa and the Maasi Mara Wilderness Conservation Trust in Kenya.
Enriching the travel experience, African Travel can arrange visits to both. Located close to Cape Town, The Cheetah Outreach Foundation adopts orphaned cubs and full grown cheetahs, taking them into schools and the community to increase awareness of wildlife and the importance of saving the cheetah. The Maasi Mara Wilderness Conservation Trust promotes wildlife conservation in Kenya and Tanzania while encouraging the preservation of the Maasi’s cultural heritage through economic and social means. Priorities include developing schools, clean water facilities and health clinics.
Preservation through Education
Dave Herbert is passionately concerned about the future of Africa’s wildlife. He cautions, “Our generation will be the last to enjoy an abundance of African wildlife in its natural surroundings. Africa’s growing population, as well as the need for more agricultural land and related resources such as water, drives the threat to the game parks.” However, Herbert believes this downward spiral can be slowed -- even halted --by providing local people with the education and opportunity to invest in the tourism around them.
African Travel has put this theory into practice through training programs and promoting from within. For example, local people hired as kitchen workers have become chefs; wildlife trackers become rangers and then managers. Community Involvement and Voluntourism At the Bush Home accommodations in Kenya, visitors gain a personalized off-the-beaten track view of the area and the culture. These community projects are run in conjunction with the local tribes and profits are shared by the community. In Zambia the Kawaza School in the Nsefu village provides another example of tourism helping to improve a community. African Travel guests can visit the school for a day or a night, participating in activities, and spending time with African families in their community. The income from the project supports the village and the community members, who help run the school.
Supporting Responsible Suppliers
The emphasis on social responsibility extends to African Travel’s selection of properties, as the company seeks to partner with hotels, lodges and camps that give back to the community and promote conservation. For example, in South Africa the Grootbos Lodge and Nature Reserve, covering more than 2,500 verdant acres along the Garden Route, runs a school that turns unskilled local people into master gardeners.
The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town runs recycling and energy-saving programs along with conservation, redistribution of resources and local investment. They also help by donating food and clothing to children with AIDS and the poor.
Low-Density Tourism
Lastly, by practicing low-density tourism, African Travel brings adventurers to areas where numbers of visitors are highly limited. These may be private conservation areas covering thousands of acres, but with a guest limit of 15. In Botswana, for example, the largest camps have 24 beds. Gorilla treks in Uganda and Rwanda have severely limited participation to lessen the impact on wildlife and the environment.
The Visitor Experience
Adding new dimensions to the safari experience while helping to bring economic development to remote areas that need it most, African Travel brings the experience alive by encouraging its guests to participate in its projects. African Travel guests have an opportunity to visit the foundations, stay in locally owned accommodations, participate in local tribal life, donate a pair of gently used shoes, and….travel with a sole.
ATI’s founder, Herbert, notes, “Our support of Africa goes beyond introducing visitors to the continent. Africa is the world’s oldest continent, it is the cradle of civilization --- our company’s mission is to change people’s lives through incredible experiences. Not just our clients, but also the local people who will ensure the future of the wildlife and the diversity of cultures that make this vast area unique.”
African Travel specializes in custom-designed luxury safaris and vacation experiences that stretch from Cape Town to Morocco, the Seychelles islands, Mauritius, Madagascar and Dubai. For more information, see your travel agent, phone 1-800-421-8907 or (818) 507-7893. Information is also available by keying in www.africantravelinc.com or emailing ati@africantravelinc.com.
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Contact: Linda Kundell or Edwina Arnold
Kundell Communications: (212) 877-2798
Kundellcom@nyc.rr.com – or – LRKPR@aol.com
