The Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP) in South Africa is encouraging enterprises in the tourism sector to use energy and water resources sustainably amid load shedding in the country. The programme offers partial grant funding for retrofitting tourism facilities with water and energy efficiency equipment, and to date has approved 130 applications worth a total grant value of R76.1 million.
The GTIP not only reduces pressure on national resources, but also facilitates operational sustainability and reduced costs for tourism businesses. The retrofitting systems installed are projected to reduce energy consumption by 65% to 80%, while water efficiency systems will result in a reduction of between 30% and 50% in water consumption.