Gansbaai (Afrikaans for “Bay of Geese),” is a fishing town about 165 kilometers (102 miles) from Cape Town in the Overberg District. It is known for its dense population of great white sharks. The main tourist attraction since about 1995 has been cage diving.

From iAfrica.com. Story by Megan Ellis.

Gansbaai was named the Overall Winner of the African Responsible Tourism Awards 2015, beating 21 other finalists for working to create “an exemplary destination (and) a quality guest experience which has conserved fynbos (native Cape flora) and marine wildlife.”

Gansbaai was also voted Best Destination for Responsible Tourism in at April ceremony during World Travel Market Africa.

Winners were named in other categories including best destination for beach tourism and best destination for engaging people and culture.

Judges said Gansbaai — the destination as a whole — was made up of “a remarkable group of tourism businesses, many of which have won Responsible Tourism Awards individually, including Grootbos for its conservation of the fynbos and its poverty reduction impact, and Marine Dynamics for conservation and local economic development.”

“The judges want to recognise them for the overall award for the way in which they have worked together to create a destination with outstanding product, memorable experiences and brought local economic development and communal facilities to the local community,” judges said. “They have demonstrated what tourism can do to make better places to live in and great places to visit.”

Here’s the full list of gold award winners:

Overall winner: Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa
Best for Beach Tourism: Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar
Best Blog for Responsible Tourism: The Good Holiday
Best Destination for Responsible Tourism: Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa
Best for engaging people and cultures: Coffeebeans Routes, Cape Town
Best for Poverty Reduction: Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in partnership with the Grootbos Foundation
Best for resource management: Chobe Game Lodge, Botswana
Best for Wildlife Conservation: Marine Dynamics, South Africa.

Read more at iAfrica.com.