Warm Greetings and welcome to the April edition of the FTTSA newsflash. We bring you exciting news about our latest accomplishments!
FTTSA certifies !Khwa ttu, the San Culture and Education Centre
!Khwa ttu, the San Culture and Education Centre increases the FTTSA-certified product portfolio to 47 clients.
!Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre is situated 70 km north-west of Cape Town and introduces visitors to the descendents of the first indigenous people of southern Africa – the San. !Khwa ttu aims to educate the general public about the world of the San and to restore San heritage through socio-economic and cultural activities.
!Khwa ttu practices responsible tourism by providing training and education to the San people involved with the centre in a number of areas including hospitality skills, heritage management and cultural tourism, craft shop management, English communication and literacy skills, as well as supporting the production of San crafts. San trained directly by !Khwa ttu are encouraged to share their newly acquired skills and knowledge with the wider San community. For more information on !Kwa ttu please visit www.khwattu.org and for more information on the FTTSA-certified products please visit www.fairtourismsa.org.za .
Mercure Network - first International hotel Chain in South Africa to be certified by FTTSA!
FTTSA's portfolio is on the rise. Mercure Midrand, Mercure Randburg and Mercure Nelspruit were the last three Mercure hotels in the South African network to be certified, making Mercure the first international hotel chain in South Africa to receive FTTSA-certification.
The Mercure network in South Africa pursues a policy of procuring products and services from BEE-compliant and Fairtrade suppliers including Thandi Wines and Bean There Coffee. With respect to environmental management, Mercure hotels monitor and take steps to reduce energy and water consumption. Eskom and Mercure are “ sharing power to save energy” with the recent launch of a joint campaign to raise awareness on energy challenges in South Africa . For more information on the Mercure Hotels please visit www.accorhotels.com & www.mercure.com . If you would buy Fairtrade wine and coffee, please visit www.thandi.com and www.beanthere.co.za.
Meet the FTTSA Team at INDABA 2009, Albert Luthuli Convention Centre ( Durban ICC),
9-12 May 2009
Are you going to the INDABA 2009 Travel Trade Show? INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African tourism industry calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit' events of its kind in the world. It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa 's best tourism products and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. INDABA is owned by South African Tourism and organised by Kagiso Exhibitions and Events. FTTSA will be exhibiting at this year's INDABA to raise awareness about FTTSA, FTTSA-certified products and responsible tourism in South Africa .
To meet the FTTSA team or set-up an appointment, please contact FTTSA team at info@fairtourismsa.org.za or visit stand number DEC020 . Please join us for the FTTSA Stand function on Sunday 10 May at 6pm at the FTTSA stand. All INDABA exhibitors and visitors are welcome! For more information on the INDABA Trade Travel Show please visit INDABA .
Increased cost for the FTTSA Sustainable Tourism Workshop
FTTSA increased the cost for the ST workshop from R6, 000 to R6, 500 excluding VAT, due to an increase in the cost of administration. The cost is inclusive of the trainer fee and administration costs. The costs for the trainer travel fee, workshop venue, accommodation and catering are additional. The Sustainable Tourism workshop has been established to raise awareness about responsible tourism. The training is offered by FTTSA in partnership with a network of 12 professional trainers situated throughout South Africa . Since 2006 FTTSA has trained over 700 learners from all over South Africa , primarily in the Eastern Cape . For more information on the FTTSA training programmes, please visit, http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za .
FTTSA facilitates the local coordinators workshop
On Friday and Saturday 17 – 18 April, Jennifer Seif and Jennifer Caldwell attended the National Development Agency (NDA) Local Coordinator's Workshop which was organised and facilitated by FTTSA. The workshop took place at On-the-Summit Lodge in East London . Four of the five Local Coordinators were in attendance. The workshop programme included project and site overviews, a discussion of the common challenges Local Coordinator's face, several problem-solving activities, an admin and M&E workshop as well as an open forum to discuss topics proposed by the groups. For more information on the FTTSA projects please visit, www.fairtourismsa.org.za
FTTSA attends a CBI training course
From 14-17 April 2009, Lolla Meyer (FTTSA Marketing Manager) attended a training course called TourFair IV 2009 in Barcelona organised and partly subsidised by the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI). CBI is an agency of the Netherlands ' Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of its Human Resource Development Programme, CBI organises courses to improve the capacity of Business Support Organisations (BSO).
TourFair IV is one of many courses offered by CBI and is geared towards BSO's e.g. tourism boards, tourism and development agencies, NGO's and other tourism foundations. This specific training programme is repeated every two years and takes place over a period of 5 working days. This year's theme was: Practical training on how to organise group participation in international tourism exhibitions.
The aim of the training is to improve the knowledge and the skills on marketing techniques and co-ordination of group presentations in international tourism fairs. For more information on CBI and their various training programmes, please visit www.cbi.eu .
Madi a Thavha Mountain Farm Lodge invests on empowering local community
Madi a Thavha Mountain Farm Lodge is based in Limpopo Province and was certified by in May 2008. This lodge supports the artists and crafters by contributing to product development and marketing. They organise training and inspirational gatherings with the artists at Madi a Thavha. A permanent exhibition about Venda and Tsonga Arts and Crafts at Madi a Thavha mountain farm lodge is a new initiative to promote the work of the artists and crafters. This initiative is a result of a mentoring programme, initiated by the Leshiba Arts and Culture trust. Most of the art pieces and craft products that are exhibited are for sale, and anyone can place an order.
The exhibition includes a collection of art work, home decoration products, jewellery and small gifts.
The production and marketing of all products are in line with Fair Trade principles and gives FTTSA-certified establishments access to fairtrade products. If you are interested in buying these Venda and Tsonga products for your craft shop or if you are looking for new staff uniforms or room decorations, please contact Marcelle Bosch at Madi a Thavha tel. 015 516 0220 or e-mail farmlodge@mweb.co.za .
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Drivers of Change Awards – Nominations are now open
The Drivers of Change awards for 2009 is calling for nominations, the awards recognises individuals or organizations from across the southern Africa Region that are making a real impact, especially in developing effective public policies and strategies, to overcome poverty. The award has been established to hold up living examples of innovative practices, inclusive attitudes, and effective processes that build social trust and create the best conditions to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty. Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) was a finalist in 2008 under the category “Drivers of Change: Civil Society Award” and received a certificate for nomination as a finalist. Entries close on 10 July 2009 and the winners will be announced at a gala event in Johannesburg on 29 October 2009. Foe more information on the Drivers of Change Awards please contact Sudley Adams on 011 250 7300 or visit, http://www.southernafricatrust.org/drivers_of_change/about_the_award.html
RESOURCES
Boundless Southern Africa
Boundless Southern Africa is the consolidated brand that was developed by Angola , Botswana , Lesotho , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Swaziland , Zambia and Zimbabwe to promote Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) as premier tourist and investment destinations to tourists around the world.
The targeted TFCAs include:
- !Ai-!Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
- Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
- Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Park
What makes Boundless Southern Africa unique is that it is about marketing tourist experiences within ecosystems and not in terms of political and geographical boundaries. It unites Southern African nations as viable and worthy collective tourist destinations and thereby boosts economic growth in the region. For more information on Boundless Southern Africa, visit www.boundlesssa.com .
Special Announcement : Communities around the world will celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8, and the occasion presents many opportunities to see these endangered gentle giants in person and participate in conservation efforts that are underway to protect them. SEE Turtles is offering a free volunteer placement service that matches interested volunteers with sea turtle conservation projects in Mexico , Costa Rica , Tobago , Guatemala , and Nicaragua . Volunteering on a sea turtle conservation project generally involves tracking and tagging turtles, night patrols of the nesting beaches, and helping researchers collect data. For more information, please visit: http://www.seeturtles.org/663/volunteer.html
The South African Civil Society Information Service
The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS) has been established as a news agency to channel social justice news and analysis about socio-economic issues in South Africa to the media. SACSIS is a platform for policy dialogue and seeks to influence media reporting and consequently public policy discourse to promote the idea of the entitlement of the poor to a higher standard of living and better quality of life. SACSIS embraces a rights-based approach to development, which views poverty as a denial of human rights, and focuses on issues related to democracy & governance, economic justice, land & housing, public services, environment, human rights, media & technology, Africa , and the world. To read about SACSIS and subscribe to their newsletters please click, here.
National Events
Hospitality Investment Conference Africa (HICA), Johannesburg , 4-6 November 2009
HICA provides an ideal platform for members of the industry to get together and reflect on the current global trends and showcase what the African continent has on offer for multinationals. The focus will be on responsible tourism as a means of creating better areas both for people to live in and visit. With its close ties to sustainable and green tourism, responsible tourism is about generating greater economic benefits for local people and enhancing host communities while minimising the negative economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism. For more information about the HICA conference visit, http://www.hica.co.za .
Celebrate World Fair Trade Day, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town , 9 May 2009
World Fair Trade Day 9 May 2009 is a salute to the people and organisations who have dedicated themselves to making Fair Trade what it is today, a solution not an issue. Fair Trade is not just about poverty, it's a solution to poverty, Fair Trade is not just about climate change, it's a solution to environmental degradation and bad practice. Fair Trade is not just about protest, it's about change. Change that's long overdue.
World Fair Trade Day 9 May 2009 is dedicated to you and the positive impact you can make in your community, through local and global events, that unite people and opinion, in a voice that can be heard wherever you are, whoever you are.
Fair Trade South Africa (FTSA) invites all Fair Trade fans to join Fair Trade organisations at the V&A Waterfront on Saturday 9 May from 09h30 to14h00 for the occasion. Fair Trade coffee, wine and stories will be in abundance. For more information on the event at the V&A Waterfront, please email Klarissa Joemath at klarissa@fairtrade.org.za or visit the FTSA website. For additional information on World Fair Trade day, please visit www.worldfairtradeday09.org
International Events
India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Workshop and Field Trip: “Nature Tourism as a Force for the Alleviation of Poverty”, Delhi , India , 13 - 19 May 2009
The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) exchange programme is a knowledge exchange between South Africa , Namibia , Mozambique and India on “Nature Tourism as a force for the alleviation of poverty”. The African Safari Lodge Foundation (ASLF) commissioned a number of southern African case studies which were presented at a workshop in Johannesburg in May 2008. Included in the programmed was a field trip to the Madikwe Community-owned lodges, Buffalo Ridge and Thakadu.
The programme in India this May is the follow-up to the South African workshop. ASLF's partner organisation in India , Equations, similarly commissioned case studies in India which will be presented at the workshop in Delhi along with a field trip to one of the case studies, Himalayan Homestays in the Ladakh region. ASLF is organising a small delegation of approximately 15 representatives from Southern Africa to attend the workshop in Delhi and field trip to Himalayan Homestays. For more information about ASLF and the May 2008 workshop and case studies, please visit: ASLF .
Please visit IBSA for more information about the IBSA trilateral development initiative or for information on Equations, please visit Equations .
Tourism for Development: Environmental Sustainability, Poverty Reduction and Empowering Communities Conference, Gaborone , Botswana , 1-3 July 2009
The Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) Africa, University of Botswana and the International Geographical Union's (IGU) Commission of Tourism, Leisure and Global Change will be hosting the ATLAS Africa conference in Gaborone , Botswana from 1-3 July 2009. The aim of the conference is to discuss the relationship between tourism and development in the African context. The conference will focus especially on the roles and potential of tourism for development, sustainability in tourism and relations between tourism, environment and communities. For more information, click here or to register email ATLAS.
Did you know?
A total of 9,591,828 foreigners visited South Africa last year compared to 9,090,881 in 2007. For more information visit, www.southafrica.net . |
