Why South Africa?
The Blue Yonder is in South Africa to learn from the pioneers, and to give something back to a country that has been a huge inspiration to our way of doing business.
When we first started as a travel company we knew nothing at all about the business model of Responsible Tourism. We got into the travel business because we felt a 'responsibility' to our people and our surroundings, so we thought it would be a good idea to call what we were doing "responsible tourism'; for a while we were even naive enough to believe we invented the term. It wasn't until we first went to the World Travel Market in 2005 that we realised there were people all over the world who were committed to the same ideals.
South Africa formulated policies on Responsible Tourism in the early 1990s, long before the current bandwagon of ethical travel started rolling. It was in South Africa that we first heard the words that became our mission statement: "creating better places for people to live in and for people to visit". That phrase, from the 2002 Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism, captures the essence of what we try to achieve with our holidays.
On our first visit to South Africa we were blown away by the beauty of the country, and inspired by the passion and commitment of people we met – people like Toni Shina and Lee Harris at The Backpack hostel in Cape Town, and Paul and Thandi Miedema of Calabash Tours in Port Elizabeth, whose entire businesses are devoted to giving opportunities to disadvantaged communities around their respective cities.
We saw a golden opportunity to apply the lessons we have learnt in Kerala to the South African stage. In the process of setting up our program of South African holidays we've been privileged to connect with some truly inspiring travel partners, from township soccer schools to community-run safari lodges. By supporting initiatives that promote sustainable development and feed money into local economies, and touching the lives of the travellers who come into contact with those initiatives, we hope to fulfil Gandhi's challenge: "think of the poorest person you have ever seen, and ask if your next act will be of any use to him."
So to answer the original question, we are in South Africa to learn from others, to be inspired, to share the amazing places and people we have discovered with our guests, and to be ambassadors for initiatives that create better places to live, and better places to visit. We are here for a shared future. We are excited to be part of the story that is South Africa. Join us!