ANNOUNCEMENT: South Africa to host 2017 WCA World Whale Conference and Whale Heritage Sites Summit
24th – 29th June, 2017, Protea Hotel Edward, Durban, South Africa
Hosted by the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau and eThekwini Municipality, the 4th World Whale Conference will focus on responsible tourism for whales and dolphins, and will unite national, regional and global stakeholders from whale conservation and welfare backgrounds, the whale watching industry, travel and tourism representatives, and beyond, to share evidence and discuss strategies to ensure the protection of cetaceans in southern Africa and worldwide.
The WCA is encouraging interested and invested parties globally, including stakeholders across southern and eastern Africa, to participate in discussions to help protect and celebrate cetaceans and their habitats.”As an international partnership it is very important for us to reach out to our African colleagues and welcome them to this important event for everybody interested in marine conservation and ecotourism. We have been hugely impressed with Kwazulu-Natal, its friendly people, and its focus on conservation and sustainability – all key ingredients for this conference and summit.” said Dylan Walker, CEO, World Cetacean Alliance.
SCHEDULE:
Watch Durban’s bid here:
Why Durban and Kwazulu-Natal?
KwaZulu-Natal is all about cultural diversity and multi-cultural traditions, sophistication and style, an enticing destination that invites exploration – an alluring and fascinating place, with spectacular mountain peaks, expansive golden beaches, exciting wildlife experiences, legendary Zulu kings and reminders of its Colonial past. Durban, gateway to the province, is a sophisticated cosmopolitan city, a fusion of East, West and African culture, which is reflected in the city’s architectural styles, artistic flair and culinary tastes and flavours.
This cultural diversity makes Durban and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal such an ideal destination for business tourism. Successful meetings are not only defined by the networking and educational opportunities of such forums … but also by the broader, rich and meaningful experience which is provided by the destination in which it is hosted. The Durban Kwazulu-Natal Convention Bureau plays a critical role in introducing this business tourism destination to both local and international meeting planners in a reasonably impartial manner offering support and advisory services to assist in delivering successful meetings.
“We are committed to transforming Durban KwaZulu-Natal into South Africa’s premier meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions destination, providing organisers and planners as well as business tourists with the latest information, unbiased advice and assistance” says interim CEO James Seymour. Not only is Mr Seymour committed to the task at hand, he is also passionate about responsible and sustainable tourism and the benefit that this has for the environment and local communities. “Tourism destinations and business tourism destinations have to adopt responsible tourism practices in order to sustain their competitiveness. These practices are the fundamentals of effective destination management.”
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