Through appreciative interviews the participants shared their success stories of sustainable practices in their hotels/lodges and tented camps. It was amazing how creative and knowledgeable people already are in (re)use of scarce resources. By collecting all these success stories a treasure of information was exchanged that empowered everyone to strive towards a responsible tourist sector in Tanzania.
The concept of triple bottom line of sustainability was explored and self-assessments were carried out, followed by action planning. Everyone came up with practical feasible actions to become more sustainable and to get certified as a seedling of the famous baobab tree. The baobab tree is the image that is used for the new launched unique Tanzanian certification system that is aligned with criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
The first two training sessions were carried out in Arusha, the centre of the tourist industry on the mainland. In October the training will be conducted in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.