The Cape West Coast is definitely off-the-beaten-track with small coastal towns waiting to charm the socks off you

In the spotlight this week: The Merry Widow in Hopefield

Owner-managers: Lizana and Ulrich

 I have decided to showcase a west coast Guest House that I think is doing fantastically things for Responsible Tourism despite being open for only one year.

“This is our family home and the ethics we live by.......

Everything we do, we are very passionate about.”  - Lizana De Jong

In furnishing the house, they sourced many of the fixtures and fittings from the attic of the original house, as a way of re-using what was already a part of the original house. They bought additional furniture from auctions or second hand shops in the area. They commissioned local crafts-people to mend and restore pieces of furniture and other design elements to bring the house back to the historic splendour it once was.

The Merry Widow is committed to the triple bottom line. Lizana and her business partner have converted the beautiful old barn on the premises into three classic guestrooms and furnished them with originals and antiques whilst still maintaining that warm and authentic feel of the stonework of the original barn. They have lovingly restored the old main house, circa 1890.

Procurement and Economic Impact

The Merry Widow is passionate about the Hopefield community and purchase goods and services locally. They buy in locally grown vegetables from community food gardens. They buy in bulk and any plastic containers that are not recycled are re-used for planting seedlings. They use only organic or locally produced vegetables in their food preparation and their own organic vegetable garden is coming along nicely. But until they are able to harvest a healthy organic crop they support local growers by purchasing their organic produce for breakfasts as well as for the light snack restaurant menu. Breakfast produce sourced locally include fresh homemade bread, pork sausages and free-range eggs and yoghurt. Dairy products supplied from a local farmer include milk and cheese from well looked after Guernsey cows. Honey is sourced from neighbours. They promote local cultural food by making traditional meals such as ‘Waterblommetjie bredie’ (from a local farm) and homemade traditional chicken and venison pies that they purchase from a lady in the community.

Social and Entrepreneurial Support

The Merry Widow actively encourages the development and sale of traditional products, crafts and folklore by the local community and are committed to providing market access for local crafters. The Mill.Art Creative initiative next door to the Guesthouse showcases local art monthly as well as hosting open-day markets. She encourages and supports small businesses and entrepreneurs in town and provides market access for small crafters to display their products at her business. For guests requiring authentic dinners, she supports a local woman who provides traditional Cape Malay curries.

Biodiversity Management – Fauna, Flora and Landscapes

They are fully aware of the sensitive west coast fynbos in which they are operating in and demonstrate a commitment to biodiversity.  They have designed gardens using indigenous species exclusively support local conservation initiatives. Where environmental protection is concerned, The Merry Widow have approached neighbours who live along the river front to assist in a river rehabilitation project. The Sout (Salt) River running through Hopefield is being choked by alien reeds. Along with neighbours they are hoping to encourage back to the river, birds of prey and many other bird species through these efforts.

Organic food production

They are also committed to using organic food products. She has built and created raised beddings to plant vegetables and herbs. She produces her own seed to ensure the next harvest will be organic. She uses these organic vegetables to develop her light snack menu as well as for breakfast. They are proud of their achievements in eco-friendly flora management and do not allow hazardous chemicals on the premises.

Resource Management

Water

• They re-use grey water from appliances to irrigate the garden.
• They use dual-flush systems in all toilets and low flow shower heads in the showers.

 Waste

• They dislike putting any bags out for waste collection. And so implement a complete waste recycling programme at tTe Merry Widow. They only put out 1 bag of waste to landfill per week: what cannot be used elsewhere on the property is put into recycling.

• They recycle all plastic types.
• All kitchen wet waste is composted as well as newspapers.
• All glass is recycled except for jam-sized jars which are re-used to bottle jams, preserves and chutneys for use on their menu as well as containers for seeds,etc for the garden and many other uses!  The jars they cannot use are donated to folks who are as passionate about preserves as they are.
• They are responsible in disposing energy saving light bulbs

Energy

• They are committed to practising responsible energy use.
  • All outside lights and boundary lighting are centrally controlled or on a timer.
  • Inside lights have energy saving light bulbs installed.

Chemicals

• Cleaning materials are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. They only use one all purpose cleaning product which is chlorine free and low in phosphorous.

Other West Coast Scenic Landscapes

Sign up for the Recycling Pickup Scheme below. World Focus Recyclers will come pick up your recycling materials at your home. Fill in the Form below to express your interest in the pickup scheme. The Scheme will begin at the end of January 2011. Please register below so that we can assess the demand in each town.

My Current Focus:

I am currently based on the beautifully scenic Cape West Coast of South Africa, living in the very small coastal town of Jacobsbaai. It is a mere 1 hr 30min drive from Cape Town and a town with a quintessential west coast look and feel. Those of you who follow me on twitter.com/socialtourismsa may have seen regular sunset snapshots over the water.

I am currently working on environmental and cultural awareness in the town for the small community, making the handful of tourism businesses operating here aware of their impact on the environment and the sensitive coastal landscape. I am currently looking for funds to develop a community website. A portal for the community to come together to discuss coastal management issues, crime, prevention of abalone and crayfish poaching and promoting arts and crafts studios run from their homes.

On a regional focus, I am currently Tourism Development Chair for the regional Tourism organisation, Saldanha Bay Tourism and involved in various tourism development initiatives in the area.

On a professional services level I am working with !Khwa ttu San Cultural and Education Centre and their 2011 San trainees presenting seminars and training sessions on Responsible Tourism issues using !Khwa ttu as a case study to help trainees understand how Responsible Tourism can and should work in their favour in any future job opportunities they get as a result of the training received at !Khwa ttu.

My current environmental focus is on Recycling awareness on the Cape West Coast. I am working with a nearby SME recycling sorting station, called World Focus Recycling, on introducing the as yet ‘non-existent’ concept of recycling to the residents, restaurants and tourism businesses, in the area. I am looking for funds or sponsorships to begin a recycling collection service aimed at tourism businesses. Recyclables will be collected bi-monthly from the doorsteps of businesses, no sorting required (a concept not heard of for homes in the UK) as staff at WFR have jobs and a livelihood from sorting recycling. All the staff are from poor communities in the nearby townships.

MSc in Responsible Tourism Management

I have completed my Masters Dissertation research project, the final requirement of a MSc Responsible Tourism Management from Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. This course is led by the ICRT - The International Centre for Responsible Tourism based at LeedsMet.

I am also an alumni member of the ICRT

I believe that it is not enough to simply understand, it's also important to take responsibility and to act. I have travelled and have seen the impacts of tourism in destination communities. I recognises interdependence (i.e. interconnectedness and the reliance on one another socially, economically, environmentally and politically) and the responsibility which flows from that. I am committed to Responsible Tourism and have a desire to make a difference. My aspirations, values and commitment to responsible tourism are shared by my fellow ICRT alumni who act as a valuable resource of information and expertise thus strengthening my network and support structure. Through my Masters in Responsible Tourism, my professors Dr. Harold Goodwin, Dr Xavier Font and Simon Woodward have provided support and equipped me with the knowledge and skills to take responsibility for the triple-bottom line sustainability of tourism. I share the ICRT commitment to "create better places for people to live in, and better places for people to visit."

Leeds Metropolitan University UK

Research

My research essentially focused on 'Establishing the readiness for sustainability learning of small owner-managed tourism businesses by analysing their decision-making processes'. The project yielded interesting results which can  be found here *Comimg sooon*.   

Summary of Experience/Specialties

• Responsible Tourism and Sustainability Management
• Conservation and Habitat Management
• Environmental Management
• Visitor and Tourism Management Strategies
• Visitor Research and Identifying Target Audiences
• Product development and product audits
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Conferences/workshops/seminars attended

• World Travel Market and UNWTO World Responsible Tourism Day 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2007, 2008
  • Deidre was directly involved with the Awards process, specifically the pre-judging process where she researched nominations and informed the judging panel before the shortlisting process.
• The Gambia: Achieving Responsible Tourism in Destinations November 2006:
  • Deidre attended a weeklong intensive workshop together with delegates from The Gambia and all over the world. The workshop focused on Local Economic Development and developing and improving the local tourism supply chain