FTTSA Newsflash July 2008
Welcome to the July edition of the FTTSA Newsflash! This month we bring you news about our latest FTTSA-certified establishment and other exciting new updates!

Farm 215 is number 35 – Please welcome farm 215 nature retreat and fynbos reserve!
Farm 215 is officially number 35 in the FTTSA portfolio. This private nature retreat is a 4 star country house and recognised sustainable operation located in the renowned Cape Floral Kingdom close to Cape Agulhas. Farm 215 may be stylish and luxurious, yet stays true to responsible tourism principles. Members of staff are recruited locally and all products are sourced from the area. For more information on farm 215 nature retreat, including their environmental and local initiatives, please visit www.farm215.co.za .

FTTSA's new website
The new and improved FTTSA website will be launched mid-July. The new website represents progress and growth within FTTSA. All clients and stakeholders will be notified once the site is live. We value your input, so please send us your comments and suggestions once the website is up and running. In the meantime, please visit www.fairtourismsa.org.za .

Judging the Best Retreats in Africa
Our FTTSA Executive Director, Jennifer Seif has been chosen as one of the judges in the prestigious and upcoming Best Retreats in Africa Awards 2008, sponsored by Amarula. The Amarula Best Retreats in Africa Awards will honor and give due recognition to individual properties in various categories through the collective voice of leaders and experts in the industry. The Awards celebrate the contributions that these properties and individuals make to define African travel, enhance the industry, spearhead trends, and influence the future direction of the travel sector. For more information about the awards, please visit http://www.best100.co.za/awards.asp.

FTTSA on Radio!
On the 1st of July, FTTSA's Executive Director, Jennifer Seif had a live radio interview on Thobela FM, a SABC radio station. The interview discussed the principles of Fair Trade in Tourism and sustainability issues around the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

More on Environmentally Friendly Cleaners
At FTTSA our search for ways to create a healthier, more environmentally friendly working environment continues. Our last newsflash featured information on distilled white vinegar as an affordable and versatile alternative to harmful and toxic cleaners. We have since received a number of emails from our readers about companies that supply environmentally friendly cleaning products to South Africa such as: Enchantrix ( www.enchantrix.co.za ), Enjo ( www.enjo.net ), New Earth Scents (email: newearthscents@gmail.com ), Probac Biogenic ( www.probac.co.za ) and Triple Orange ( www.tripleorange.co.za ). We welcome more tips and ideas about environmentally friendly cleaning products! Next month we will broaden our scope and investigate other environmentally friendly options for offices! Please email questions and tips to info@fairtourismsa.org.za .

Internship position available at FTTSA
FTTSA is currently in the process of hiring a Network Coordinator for the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa. This is a one-year long internship position (extendable up to two years) that is open to South African and international candidates alike.  The closing date for applications is 31 July 2008 and the position will be based in Pretoria at the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) head office.  The planned start date for the position is 01 September 2008. For more details about this position, please visit http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za/news/index.php or send your enquiry to info@fairtourismsa.org.za.

Request for Proposals
FTTSA is currently accepting proposals from consultants to conduct feasibility research to support the planned development of an agri-tourism cluster in the Eastern Cape Province.  Independent service providers are required for the following tasks:

• situational analysis research to provide strategic guidance for the establishment of an agri-tourism cluster in the Eastern Cape.
• monitoring and evaluation (M&E) expert to evaluate the effectiveness of specific components of the project.

Visit www.fairtourismsa.org.za/news/ to view the complete Terms of Reference. The deadline for the receipt of proposals from consultants is Monday 21 July 2008 at 16h00.

Calabash Trust celebrated the opening of the 100th container
The Calabash Trust is one of the community empowerment projects undertaken by FTTSA-certified establishment, Calabash Tours. They recently celebrated the arrival of the 100th container of donated toys, tables and chairs for pre-schoolers and adults, benches, beds, bedding, mattresses, pots and pans. The donations were collected in the Netherlands by Douwe and Gerry Helfrich, who were so moved during a visit to the Port Elizabeth townships organised by Calabash Tours that they decided to contribute to community upliftment on their return to Holland . “This shows the power of responsible tourism. Our policy is to ensure that the locals benefit as much possible from tourism,” says Calabash Tours' founder, Paul Miedema. In 2004, the Calabash Trust was named the overall winner in the prestigious UK “Responsible Tourism Awards” as well as top in the Poverty Reduction category. For more information on the Calabash Trust and how you can support the work of this dynamic initiative, please contact Paul Miedema on 041 585 6162 or paul@calabashtours.co.za.

Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve
FTTSA-certified establishment Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve is situated at the foot of the Korannaberg Mountains, some 300 kilometers north west of Kimberley, and covers 1000km2 (100 000 ha) of land on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve has recently refurbished the lodge and completed the first phase of its new staff complex. The design of the staff housing is based on green building standards. To conserve energy, houses are fitted with solar water heating units and low energy lighting, and each house has a large tank to collect rainwater. The first phase saw the completion of 30 houses, with the second phase of 40 houses due for completion by the end of the year. For more information on this unique destination, please visit www.tswalu.com.

FTTSA and Kellogg Corps
FTTSA welcomes two MBA graduates from the Kellogg School of Management, Nam Ong and David Wright, who are undertaking voluntary consulting with FTTSA during the month of July. Kellogg is one of the top five graduate business schools in the world with the goal of developing socially responsible global leaders. For three weeks, Nam Ong and David Wright will work with the executive team at FTTSA to update the business and strategic plan for the next three years. New to the tourism industry, South Africa, and NGO's, Nam and David hope to provide FTTSA with a fresh perspective by drawing upon their private sector work experience and utilizing structured frameworks they have learned at Kellogg.

FTTSA says Farewell
FTTSA bids farewell to Katarina Johansson, who has been with FTTSA in the capacity as a Marketing Advisor since 2005. The bulk of her work with FTTSA has been performed on a voluntary basis, and she has played a huge role in establishing links with tour operators in Europe and North America. FTTSA wishes her all the best with her future endeavors, and we also congratulate her on her recent marriage to Dalu Mancama!

We also say goodbye to Loes Weijers, who has been a Marketing Intern for six months tasked with the coordination of FTTSA's participation at Indaba 2008. Loes will continue her studies in International Tourism Management and Consultancy at the Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands . Loes concluded, “I had a great time with FTTSA during my six month placement and learned a lot. The things I have learnt will definitely be helpful in my future career, thanks to FTTSA for giving me this great opportunity”.

Lastly, we bid farewell to Jen Smith, our Project Management Intern for the past nine months. Jen was quoted saying,“Working on the start-up of the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa provided a relevant link between my academic past and professional future and simultaneously offered an opportunity for me to refine my interest in and passion for Sustainable Tourism. Thanks again!” Jen's internship was sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and facilitated by Fanshawe College in Canada .

Ethical shopping – South Africa's middle class goes green
For the past four years, South Africa's biggest retailers have ridden the wave of rising consumer spending fuelled by a booming economy and a growing black middle class. At the top end of the market is Woolworths, which in March was named Responsible Retailer of the Year at the World Retail Awards in Barcelona . In 2007, Woolworths announced an innovative Black Economic Empowerment employee shareholder scheme among its 17,000-strong workforce. Woolworths' ambitious five-year plan to change the way it does business sets challenging targets in areas such as “transformation” – or improving the economic fortunes of black South Africans – and addressing its impact on climate change. For more information about ethical shopping visit www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5941 .

EVENTS

Stellenbosch Wine Festival, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, 31 July-3 August 2008
This festival takes place annually to showcase the best of the best wine. There will be 500 wines to sample, made from professionals and fun loving communities all over the world. See how Stellenbosch celebrities and winemakers sweat it out in the kitchen! Broaden your mind at their interesting, informative and sometimes tongue-in-cheek wine lectures in the “wine tasting theatre”, presented by the Wine Magazine. For more information please send your enquiries to info@wineroute.co.za or phone 021 886 431.

Innovating for Sustainability, Africans Investing in Africa, CAF Southern Africa's Conference, Wanderers Hotel, Illovo, Johannesburg, 17-18 September 2008
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Southern Africa's 2008 conference will explore how innovative financial models involving local investment, private equity and social enterprise can enhance the region's sustainability. Participants will discover the relationships between social investment, good corporate governance and visionary leadership. For more information and to register for this conference, contact Mokgaetse Thoka or Mihloti Mgimeti on 011 726-1148.

Hospitality Investment Conference Africa (HICA) 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 – 30 September 2008
Last year the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) hosted the first ever Hotel Investment Conference Africa (HICA) in Cape Town. This is modeled on similar events that take place annually in Europe (around ITB) and the Middle East . Based on the success of the event in 2007, it will be repeated this year, but this time in Johannesburg . The main target groups are current and potential investors as well as industry and government parties who attend the event for information.

FTTSA is a proud supporter of HICA 2008. This year HICA's agenda includes an industry awards programme. Executive Director of FTTSA, Jennifer Seif will serve as a judge in the 2008 TBCSA Tourism Investor awards. These awards aim to recognise the achievement of those tourism and hospitality businesses, media personnel and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the growth of sustainable tourism investment in Southern Africa . For more information on HICA 2008 and the 2008 TBCSA Tourism Investor awards, please visit: www.hica.co.za .

TFCA 2010: Tourism Investment Conference, Sandton, Johannesburg , 20-22 October 2008
The South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) has identified a portfolio of specific tourism investment opportunities linked to Trans Frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) for 2010 and beyond. Investment opportunities will be presented to interested investors at this forum. This is a unique opportunity to be among the first investors to gain insights into what the TFCAs have to offer in terms of high return on investment tourism, hospitality and leisure projects. For more information, please send enquiries to Denise Spaull on denise@omegainvest.co.za or 021 689 7881.

Eco Storm - a movement for Sustainable Tourism Destination Development, Basecamp Masai Mara, Kenya, 17-20 November 2008
Eco Storm is a global resource for sustainable tourism destination development. Initiated and directed by the Basecamp Explorer Group, and sustained by a strong network of experts and practitioners, Eco Storm Masai Mara will provide the opportunity to explore tools and practices that could be implemented to ensure that the ecological balance, local livelihoods and product quality are attained in Kenya's world famous Masai Mara. Speakers include Justin Francis from Responsible Travel.com, Dr. Murray from the Centre of Environment Oxford University, Judy Kepher-Gona from Eco Tourism Kenya and Dr. Lars Lindkvist from Basecamp Foundation. Please register before 30 September 2008 at www.eco-storm.net and for more information on the workshop contact Ms Tina Frisk on tina@basecampexplorer.com .

ANNOUNCEMENTS

2008 Africa SMME Conference and Awards
This unique annual awards program has been established specifically to acknowledge, encourage and celebrate excellence amongst African Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs). The main objective for this award is to give SMMEs the opportunity to gain valuable exposure and well-deserved recognition for their global expansion ambitions.  Award winners will feature prominently in the media, with the aim of helping the African SMME business sector grow and prosper, and to market Africa as an investment destination for the rest of the world. The Awards function itself will feature keynote speaker Dr Rob Davies, Deputy Minister in the South African government's Department of Trade & Industry. For more information about the logistics of the awards and to obtain entry forms please contact Dina Potgieter at dina@africagrowth.com or visit http://www.africagrowth.com/Africa_SMME.htm .

The dti launches the new Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP)
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Mandisi Mpahlwa recently announced the launch of the Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP), which includes the Manufacturing Investment Programme (MIP) and the Tourism Support Programme (TSP). The TSP replaces the dti's Small and Medium Enterprise Development Programme (SMEDP).

The TSP programme will be accessible to both local enterprises and foreign owned entities wishing to locate their operations in South Africa. The introduction of the Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP) is part of an implementation plan arising from the broader incentives review process, which includes modifying certain incentives, benchmarking the incentive practices in other economies, as well as introduction of new incentives to promote investment, growth and employment creation. The programme guidelines were gazetted on 4 July 2008 and will be published on the dti website in due course. The programme will be officially open for applications from 21 July 2008, after which application forms will be available on the dti website. For more information, please visit www.thedti.gov.za .

The draft Tourism Sector Code
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has unveiled the draft Tourism Sector Code, formerly the Tourism BEE Charter, as the first charter to be gazetted under Section 9 of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act No 53 of 2003.

The Tourism Sector Codes express the commitment of all tourism stakeholders to the empowerment and transformation of the sector and its commitment to working collectively to ensure that the opportunities and benefits of the country's growing tourism sector are extended to large numbers of black South Africans. The Minister of Trade and Industry invites interested persons to submit comments on the draft Tourism Sector Code within 60 days of the date of this publication (20 June 2008).

Comments can be sent to bee-tourism@thedti.gov.za or to the BEE Unit, the dti Campus, 77 Meintjies Street, Sunnyside Pretoria. Go to www.tourismbeecharter.co.za to download a copy of the Government Gazette in which the codes were published.

RESOURCES

Tourism Update
Tourism Update is a leading source of electronic news about South Africa's tourism industry. Enjoy the newly improved digital edition, which allows you to click through to online video and websites from the page. Get all the news and views in Tourism Update even before it's hot off the press. For updates on tourism in South Africa, please visit the website below. To download the tourism edition you need to register on the following link http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/download.asp?issue_id=40 .

The Staying Power of Sustainability
Sustainability is today's critical business issue, one that cannot be ignored. Environmental and social responsibility issues are not new, and a growing number of hospitality companies are adopting green policies and action programs in an effort to stay competitive. Over the past few years, momentum has been building due to mounting pressures from consumers, travel intermediaries, media, regulatory officials and governments around the globe. To better understand this trend, Deloitte conducted a worldwide survey of more than 1,000 business travelers in April 2008. Read the full report attached below in PDF format. http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_cb_sustainability_190608%281%29.pdf .

Think Twice
“Think Twice” is a tourist awareness campaign of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which aims to reduce the demand for wildlife souvenirs by raising public awareness of the negative impacts on biodiversity caused by the trade in certain fauna and flora. The growth of tourism globally is having a devastating impact on wildlife, as impoverished communities and unscrupulous traders sell off wild animals and plants to holidaymakers. Yet up to 20 per cent of the world's animal and plant species could die out by 2030 – in part due to rampant poaching to the meet the demand for tourist trinkets.

Tourists visiting South Africa should be encouraged to “Think Twice” before buying curios made from wildlife, even legal curios because of the devastation the wildlife curio trade wreaks on species worldwide. As part of its ongoing campaign, IFAW would greatly appreciate any feedback regarding the Think Twice campaign. The feedback will significantly assist in efforts to produce information that is helpful to the tourism sector and effective in assisting IFAW in its aim to reduce the demand for wildlife souvenirs as a means of protecting Southern Africa's wildlife heritage. For more information, please contact Neil Greenwood at ngreenwood@ifaw.org or visit www.ifaw.org .

IUCN's Business and Biodiversity Programme has published its 2007 Annual Report
“Building Bridges” is the title of IUCN-World Conservation Union's annual report for 2007. This report documents IUCN's work with large footprint industries, biodiversity-dependent and green enterprises and finance. It also describes other key areas of work, such as private-sector-related conservation policies and capacity building on business and biodiversity. The performance assessment at the end of the report shows progress against the planned annual results. If you would like a hard copy of the report, please contact Evelyn Clarke on Evelyne.Clarke@iucn.org . The “Building Bridges” is also available on http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/building_bridges_bbp_annual_report_2007_low.pdf .

Global education and Fair Trade in Sport
A Fair Trade project with a difference is starting to take shape with the aim of leveraging Fair Trade to support sport, and vice versa. Paul Blackler, a volunteer with VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas) has developed an innovative approach towards promoting Fair Trade by focusing on sport.  Paul actively encourages and supports local community groups, schools and sports clubs to use their passion for sport as a tool for educating youth and sports-people about the imbalances in the global trading system, and to promote the use of Fair-trade sports balls. For more information, please contact Paul Blacker at admin@bloglot.co.uk or visit www.blogsplot.co.uk .

Did you know?
International tourism in emerging & developing markets has grown at an average rate of 6-8% over the past decade, twice the rate of industrialized countries. For more information visit http://www.unwto.org/media/news/en/press_det.php?id=2462 .

The Paris-based International Energy Agency released a study suggesting the world must invest $45 trillion in the coming decades to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2050. This would be needed to finance some 1,400 nuclear power plants, the development of carbon sequestration technology and the expansion of wind power. For more information visit http://www.globe-net.com/news/index.cfm?type=2&newsID=3573 .

According to figures from the international Fair Trade Labelling Organization (FLO), consumers worldwide spent over €2.3bn on Fair Trade certified products in 2007, a 47 per cent increase on the previous year. The fastest growing markets were Sweden and Norway with increases of 166 per cent and 110 per cent respectively. For more information visit http://www.befair.be/en/newsletters/number-10--june-2008.cfm .