Welcome to our first edition of the FTTSA newsflash for 2011!
We hope that the New Year finds us working together on many more occasions.
Contents of the January newsflash:
What are your New Year's resolutions?
- Stop smoking
- Sign up at the gym
- Save money
- Fight Child Exploitation
For the Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct (the Code) , the answer is obvious and so the year 2011 has started with a media event that took place on 26 January 2011 in Johannesburg. This event was in close collaboration with Deepsmart Consulting and the kind support from FTTSA-certified The Peech Hotel . This event attracted many esteemed journalists who received a presentation on the recent achievements of the Code in South Africa and planned projects to ensure the successful prevention of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in tourism. For more information about the Code, please refer to our website or visit us on facebook .
Jennifer Caldwell Fund in Human Rights underway!
This fund has been established in the name of a cherished University of Washington alumna, Jen Caldwell, to honor her passionate commitment to human rights. While at the University of Washington, Jen was known for combining academic excellence with working for justice. She played leading roles in efforts to educate the campus community about rape and sexual violence, in switching the campus to 100% fair trade certified coffee, and in raising funds to support scholarships for young people who work on Guatemalan coffee plantations through the UW Guatemala Project. Jen died in a road accident in Hatfield, Pretoria on Monday 14 September 2009. She was a tremendous person and a great asset to FTTSA and to Fair Trade in South Africa more generally. Jen will be remembered by all of us at FTTSA for her quick wit, lovely smile, spirit of adventure and total dedication to Fair Trade in Tourism. May her soul rest in peace, we will always love her. For more information about Jen's fund click here.
FTTSA teams up with Getaway on a blogger's dream adventure
FTTSA has teamed up with Getaway Magazine to host a blogger on the Getaway website for four weeks. This initiative is part of a project that FTTSA is working on with the National Development Agency (NDA) to help small, community-based tourism products become more viable. The blogger will travel to the NDA-supported products and FTTSA-certified products in the south-east of South Africa from Knysna to the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains and blog daily in order to raise awareness of the places visited. The blogger will not only have the opportunity to stay at many amazing establishments but will also take part in responsible tours and adventures in many of the communities attached to these places. This will not only be an adventure of a lifetime for the blogger but it is also an opportunity to highlight the importance of Fair Trade in Tourism and its motto to make tourism work for South Africa and South Africans. The blogger is due to start his/her journey on 14 February 2011, and we hope that the blog will inspire many South Africans to choose Fair Trade for their next holiday! To see the itinerary, please visit FTTSA.
Would you like this dream job? Entries close on 01 February 2011. Click here for more details on how to enter.
New face at FTTSA!
FTTSA welcomes Kathy Bergs as the new General Manager. Kathy holds a BA in International Affairs (University of Colorado at Boulder) and a Master's in International Management (Thunderbird School of Global Management). Although Kathy began her career in international banking with Chicago-based Continental Bank and in the New York office of Lloyd's Merchant Bank, she has spent the better part of the last 25 years working in the South African game lodge industry, most recently as the General Manager of Motswari Private Game Reserve from 2000 – 2010.
Kathy was responsible for Motswari's certification with FTTSA and is honoured and excited to be able to now devote her energies full time to helping develop sustainable tourism in Southern Africa.
FTTSA bids farewell
FTTSA bids farewell to Lolla Meyer, who has been with FTTSA for over 2 years as the Marketing Manager. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure here at FTTSA and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing team. Even though I will miss my colleagues, FTTSA's clients, and the organisation, I am looking forward to starting a new phase of my career. Please keep in touch. I can be reached at my personal email address ( lollameyer@gmail.com )”.
Miriam Daepp, FTTSA's Marketing Intern, is also leaving FTTSA and joins in to say goodbye and thank you. FTTSA would like to thank Lolla and Miriam for their valued contribution and wish them all the best with their future endeavors.
Fair Trade Corner!
In a unique collaboration between FTTSA and Fair Trade South Africa (FTSA) , we are pleased to announce two exciting events taking place in March 2011.
Flavours of Fair Trade
You are invited to join us for the “ Flavours of Fair Trade” evening on Tuesday, 8 March 2011, at Bean There Coffee Roastery in Milpark, Johannesburg. This is an excellent opportunity to experience and taste “ Flavours of Fair Trade” while networking with Fair Trade organisations , buyers and consumers alike. This is also a good opportunity to learn more about Fair Trade and Fairtrade products available in South Africa.
RSVP: Kindly confirm your attendance by Monday, 28 February 2011, email Khaya Thwala or phone 012 342 2945. There is also an opportunity to scoop a Fair Trade prize for two lucky guests so do not forget to bring your business cards!
NB: Fair Trade businesses: Please bring your marketing collateral and Fair Trade sample products.
Fair Trade Hotel room : a vision for South Africa
We are pleased to announce the first ever launch of the Fair Trade Hotel room in partnership with Fairtrade Label South Africa , FTTSA and The Peech Hotel. The official launch will take place on Friday, 25 March 2011 at the FTTSA-certified Peech Hotel. The objective of the event is twofold: to expose the concept of Fair Trade to local media, restaurant, hotel and lodge owners and to promote FTTSA certification, the benefits of Fair Trade and Fair Trade in Tourism to local media and other hotel and lodge owners. The room will also be opened to the media and public on 26 March 2011. Formal invitations will be sent out on 21 February 2011. For more information please email Khaya Thwala .
National Industry Events
Meetings Africa Exhibition, Sandton Convention Centre,21- 23 February 2011
Meetings Africa is a business tourism marketing platform which aims to expose local and international buyers to the range of services and products in Southern Africa's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference, Exhibitions) Industry. The visitor target market is anyone who travels for business or who books business travel as well as organisers of events, conferences, meetings, team incentives trips or teambuilding activities. For more info, please contact Scan On Show on 011 431 4126 or email meetingsafrica@meetings-africa.co.za .
Indaba Trade Show, Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC), 7 - 10 May 2011
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 Witch & Wizard Creative.
FTTSA's presence at this year's Indaba is going to be bigger than ever showcasing the first ever Fair Trade South Africa Pavilion. This partnership stand concept will be the first ever to showcase some FTTSA-certified tourism businesses and other Fair Trade products (such as tea, coffee and wine) under one roof. To meet with the FTTSA team or set-up an appointment , please contact the FTTSA team or visit stand number ODW023. For more information on the INDABA Trade Travel Show click here.
Meet the FTTSA-certified businesses who will be showcased on the first ever Fair Trade South Africa Pavillion 1. Antrim Villa & Bickely House - www.antrimvilla.com and www.bickleyhouse.com 2. AWOL Masiphumelele bicycle tour - www.awol.travel 3. Buccaneers Lodge and Backpackers - www.cintsa.com 4. Ocean Safaris - www.oceansafaris.co.za 5. St Lucia Tours and Charters' Whale Watching and Hippo Croc Tour - www.advantagetours.co.za 6. Stormsriver Adventures - www.stormsriver.com 7. The Peech Hotel - www.thepeech.co.za 8. Volunteer Africa - 32° South: Wild Coast Community Schools Programme - www.volunteerafrica.co.za
International Events
ITB Berlin, Germany, 9 - 13 March 2011
ITB is the world's leading travel trade show that brings together over 179,000 visitors from across the globe every year, combining trade days, public days and the biggest travel professional convention worldwide. If you are targeting the German market, this is the exhibition to attend. Our joint marketing stand in the heart of the Southern African hall offers a choice of participation options to suit your budget and meeting needs. ITB Berlin is “THE B2B-Platform” for trade visitors – an excellent opportunity to meet business partners and to do business. For all other visitors ITB Berlin is a wonderful possibility to discover the whole world within a few hours. FTTSA Executive Director, Jennifer Seif, will be present at this year's ITB. If you would like to meet with her at ITB, contact kabelo@fairtourismsa.org.za. For more information on the ITB Travel Trade Show, click here.
IMEX, Frankfurt, Germany, 24 – 26 May 2011
This annual business tourism event is fast becoming the most significant show in the worldwide meetings industry calendar. In 2010, the show attracted over 3,800 hosted buyers from more than 60 countries, over 8,900 total visitors from 90 countries and 3,500 exhibitors from 157 countries. South African Tourism has identified this exhibition as the platform for participation on the international arena. The South African pavilion provides dedicated meeting tables, destination branding, buyer presentations and complete on-site management. For more information visit IMEX.
Resources
Volunteer Tourism Book: Theoretical Framework and Practical Applications
Volunteer Tourism is one of the major growth areas in contemporary tourism, where tourists for various reasons seek alternative goodwill experiences and activities. To meet this demand there has been a surge in volunteer programmes offered in a range of destinations organised by a variety of charities and tour operators which is predicted to continue to grow in the future.
Volunteer Tourism provides an in-depth analysis of the complex issues associated with traditional and contemporary volunteer tourism. Reflecting the growth in this phenomenon, this book provides a cohesive collection of chapters written from a range of international expert scholars and researchers. The theoretically rich, practically applied and empirically grounded contributions are based on current and diverse research in the area. This groundbreaking volume explores topics which have not been addressed in the literature before, such as the impact on host communities, introducing new areas and ideas to the field. Volunteer Tourism will be of interest to both students and researchers interested in tourism, leisure and development, as well as non-academics, practitioners, NGOs and government officials at all levels. Edited by Angela M Benson. Routledge 2011 . To order your copy of Volunteer Tourism, click here – remember to quote VT20 when ordering!
Did you know? The Bolivian cooperative COTAPATA, based in the province of La Paz, is the world's first Fairtrade and Fairmined – certified mine , COTAPATA's gold is about to enter the European market of jewellery. Fairtrade and Fairmined gold will be initially launched in the UK and then rolled out to other countries with a long term vision of capturing 5% of the gold jewellery market over a 15-year period, totalling 15 tonnes of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold annually. Click here to learn more about the Fairtrade and Fairmined standards
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