Chairperson, the DA welcomes the fact that Cape Town has been awarded the most Blue Flag accredited beaches in the country.
The Blue Flag awards strengthen the already justified perception that Cape Town is a world-class tourist destination. Blue Flags are only awarded to beaches that have achieved the highest quality in water facilities, safety, environmental education and management.
It is a voluntary eco-label award which covers over 3 450 beaches and mariners in 41 countries worldwide. The beach awards for Cape Town come at the most opportune time, directly ahead of the 2010 World Cup. This news means that tourists can enjoy our beaches knowing that they meet the highest quality standards.
However, the DA is concerned about the absence of Durban's beaches on the Blue Flag list. It lost several Blue Flag awards on its beaches because the manager, Michael Sutcliffe, does not see the benefits of participation. Sutcliffe appears to be the only one at odds with a national drive to improve our beaches and said that the Blue Flag status for the city has not affected tourism.
The DA believes that there are plenty of reasons to join the Blue Flag scheme: Firstly, it encourages good practice regarding water quality, environmental management, education and safety; and, secondly, it allows the municipality to openly fly the Blue Flag which hopes to promote the beach to tourists.
The DA urges the manager of tourism to encourage all coastal municipalities to engage in a Blue Flag scheme ahead of the World Cup so that South Africa can maximise its tourism potential. I thank you.