All About Africa Sustainability Consulting

27/08/2026

Thrilled to be presenting at this conference on a conversation that is becoming increasingly important for the global tourism and hospitality industry.

As EU and global sustainability requirements evolve, this is no longer simply about how businesses communicate their own environmental and social credentials. It is also about risk, reputation and liability across the supply chain, including the sustainability claims we repeat, amplify and rely upon from partners and suppliers.

I’ll be exploring what this means in practice, from ESG compliance and evidence based documentation to the growing importance of qualified, independent third party verification of social and environmental operations and impact.

And critically, this goes beyond marketing and regulatory compliance.

For institutional investors, private equity and lenders in the hospitality and tourism space, credible ESG documentation and independently verified impact are increasingly part of assessing risk, governance, investment readiness and long term value.

Sustainability is moving rapidly from a communications conversation to a due diligence conversation.

A claim is the starting point, not the proof.

31/07/2026

The past few weeks have been genuinely disheartening.

Once you see certain things, you cannot unsee them.

As I continue working with tourism businesses to prepare for growing expectations around transparency, documentation, accountability, and market access, a troubling pattern keeps emerging. Behind polished marketing, awards, endorsements, board appointments, and industry recognition, I am repeatedly finding businesses, projects, and initiatives whose public claims simply do not stand up to objective scrutiny.

Some are exaggerated. Some are misleading. Some are so fundamentally at odds with their actual impact that it raises uncomfortable questions about how they were ever celebrated in the first place.

My question is simple.

How did we stop checking people’s homework?

When did we decide that good storytelling was enough, without asking for evidence? When did due diligence become optional?

Every organization that repeats, promotes, or endorses an unverified claim inherits part of that risk. Whether you are a tour operator, DMO, certification body, NGO, investor, tourism board, media outlet, or global brand, your credibility becomes tied to the credibility of those you choose to champion.

This is not about naming and shaming. It is about protecting the integrity of our industry.

The tourism sector is entering an era where evidence matters more than intention, and documentation matters more than declarations. Independent verification is no longer a nice to have. It is becoming a commercial necessity.

If we genuinely care about sustainability, then we need to become far better at asking difficult questions, validating claims, and looking behind the curtain before we hand out awards, partnerships, endorsements, or seats at the table.

Good intentions are not evidence.

And credibility cannot be outsourced.

It is time for some honest, uncomfortable conversations.

30/07/2026

30/07/2026

30/07/2026

What does each Ecorating Certification level mean?

🍀The Ecorating Certification, for both Natural & Protected Areas and Cities & Urban Areas, recognizes tourism facilities at different stages of their sustainability journey.

💡Every level represents a commitment to and continuous improvement in four areas: sustainable business practices, conservation, community engagement and enhancement of cultural performance.

💫💫💫Gold Ecorated
Highest level of certification awarded to properties that have achieved superior and replicable levels of excellence across the four focus areas.

💫💫Silver Ecorated
Intermediary level that is awarded to properties that demonstrates substanstive move towards achieving excellence across the four focus areas..

💫Bronze Ecorated
Entry level awarded to properties that demonstrate awareness of and growing commitment across the four focus areas.

Explore the ecorated properties: https://ecotourismkenya.org/eco-rated-facilities/

30/07/2026

30/07/2026

It was an honor to contribute to this Travel Weekly feature on the evolving face of voluntourism. As expectations for transparency, accountability, and meaningful impact continue to rise, so does our responsibility to ensure voluntourism genuinely benefits communities, conservation, and travelers alike.

The responsible-tourism market in Africa has matured considerably over the past decade, with operators shifting the focus away from hands-on volunteering.

02/07/2026