The Cape Town Cycle Tour will take place on March 11, with a new starting point at the Grand Parade Precinct and a ‘zero’ water footprint.
Tour Director, David Bellairs, and his team are working around the clock to ensure that the tour protects water conservation efforts in the Western Cape by taking the event off the municipal water grid.
Speaking to Tourism Update, he said: “We will be utilising a variety of options that will include grey water; de-salinised water; spring water (trucked in from natural sources); using chemical loos and hand sanitisers; and ensuring that no showers use municipal water.”
He said all event suppliers would have to comply with the requirements, as well as participants. “There is a comprehensive communications schedule planned, which will be aimed at all suppliers and participants, specifically those travelling into the area from outside the borders of the Western Cape. Our visitors will be made acutely aware of the situation facing the city and be given tips on how to assist during their stay.”
Bellairs explains that, by taking the event off the grid, the municipality will save between 300 000 and 400 000 litres of water. It has also been estimated that the event will boost the Western Cape economy by well over R500 million (€33.3m).
