Autumn greetings to all FTTSA fans! We bring you more exciting news in the March edition of the FTTSA newsflash.

Online Application for FTTSA certification is now available:   www.fttsacertification.org.za

FTTSA attends ITB Berlin 2009 in Germany
On 11-15 March 2009, FTTSA's Executive Director, Jennifer Seif, attended the world's biggest travel show, the International Tourism Bourse (ITB), in Germany . ITB Berlin provides information on market trends and innovations, as well as unique opportunities to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. This was an excellent opportunity for FTTSA to raise awareness about responsible tourism in South Africa and to promote FTTSA-certified products.

At ITB FTTSA also participated in industry events, including:

• A 3-day international expert meeting on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in travel and tourism, hosted by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual Purpose) Germany and Netherlands.
• ECPAT press conference and a public event hosted by EED-Tourism Watch.

FTTSA would like to extend a big thank you to ECPAT for sponsoring Jennifer Seif's attendance at ITB. For more information on ECPAT International, click here .

FTTSA attends the TEP Roadshow
On 26 February 2008, the FTTSA Marketing Manager, Lolla Meyer, attended the Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) “Towards 2010 and Beyond” national stakeholder workshop at the Sandton Convention Centre. This is following the huge success TEP had with the provincial road shows that took place in November and December 2008. During this time, TEP conducted 2010 SMME Product surveys. New research on emerging tourism businesses for 2010 will soon be released by TEP . The workshop shared the findings of the research and called on all stakeholders to collectively take action to ensure the most successful World Cup ever and a sustainable legacy for South African small tourism businesses.

Gauteng NEPAD Summit 2009 – Network Attendance
On 2-6 March 2009, the FTTSA Marketing Manager, Lolla Meyer and the Regional Coordinator for the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa, Stela Luis, attended the Gauteng NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) Summit (GNS) 2009 in Johannesburg . The conference is an initiative of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (GEDA) and the Gauteng Provincial Government. The rationale of the Summit and its integral "African Trade & Investment Expo 2009" (ATIEX) was to promote regional trade and investment co-operation and to advance the development of trade and investment within the African continent. African leaders from their respective trade, investment and economic development organisations attended the Summit along with representatives from the Gauteng Provincial Government and GEDA. 

The event assisted in the promotion of the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa amongst key tourism stakeholders, government agencies, individuals, private sector and media from the SADC region. For more information on the  Gauteng NEPAD Summit and for more information the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa please visit, Sustainable Tourism Network .  

FTTSA attends the Tomorrow's Leaders Convention
FTTSA Marketing Manager, Lolla Meyer, and FTTSA Executive Assistant, Netsai Sibanda, attended the prestigious Tomorrow's Leaders™ Convention on 10 March 2009 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg . The Convention not only identified the uniquely talented individuals who will lead corporate South Africa in the near future, but commended them for the outstanding success they have already achieved. For more information on the Tomorrow's Leaders Convention 2009 please click here.

Local Empowerment at Leshiba Wilderness
Leshiba Wilderness became FTTSA-certified in 2007. Leshiba is situated at the top of the Soutpansberg Mountains in the heart of old Venda and is a champion of community development and local culture and heritage preservation through its Centre of Indigenous Knowledge. Along with this, comes the inspiring story of Joyce Malaudzi.

Joyce was born in the original Venda Village , which Leshiba subsequently re-created when it was neglected and broken down. Joyce joined Leshiba as a part time assistant and immediately demonstrated her exceptional potential. Within no time she learnt to drive, briefly studied under a chef and learnt to become the lodge's main chef. She is now Co-Manager of the Venda Village Lodge and is a key asset to Leshiba.

John Rosmarin, owner of Leshiba Wilderness, says, “Many times I have asked guests how they are enjoying Leshiba and despite the magnificent environment, the extraordinary village, the animals etc. their first response is often spontaneously, ‘Joyce is fantastic and that is why we want to return!' This is probably my proudest compliment that I recall receiving.” For more about Leshiba Wilderness please visit, Leshiba.

(Please note Lesheba Wilderness has changed its name to Leshiba Wilderness. All other contact details remain the same).

Tourism contributes 8.2% to GDP and set to see exponential growth
The Gauteng tourism industry is undergoing a major upgrade as the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) joins with its partners to assist tour operators across the province. Together with Wits University , the GTA is offering a series of lectures designed to upgrade the skills and knowledge of tour guides, ensuring further growth as well as responsible and sustainable tourism.

Although Gauteng is South Africa 's smallest province, it is no secret that it is the country's largest contributor towards the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Being a top contender for attracting tourists, however, is one of the province's lesser-known successes. As 2010 draws near, Gauteng is getting ready to receive the influx of visitors to the country. At present, tourism contributes an estimated 8.2% (R79 billion) to the GDP nationally. This is expected to rise to 12% during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Gauteng 's performance in the tourism sector is at the top of the provincial log with 10.6% growth since 2003. Service standards need to be upgraded to meet industry demand and ensure continued growth in this sector. For more information please click here .

National Events

Earth Hour! Saturday, 28 March 2009, 8:30pm local time, wherever you live on planet earth
From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, we know that climate change is already impacting life on our planet. Earth Hour is a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) global sustainability campaign about taking simple steps everyday that will collectively reduce carbon emissions – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

At 8:30pm on Saturday 28 March, people from all corners of the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show support for this initiative and take part in the world's largest global climate change event. Earth Hour's target for this year's campaign is 1 billion participants, and the results will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.  FTTSA encourages all its fans to show support for this worldwide environmental initiative and join us in participating. For more information and to sign up, please visit Earth Hour .

SAPSAC 10 th annual National Conference on Child Abuse, CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, 4-6 May 2009
The South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (SAPSAC) will be hosting this event with the theme ‘Towards multi-disciplinary expertise in handling child abuse - a focus on Trafficking'. Other sessions include: South African Legal Framework; Case illustration; Panel Discussion; The role of the media with a focus on the vulnerable child in the face of 2010; Perceptions of African youth that give rise to sexual violence; and Overcoming childhood trauma. For further information please contact SAPSAC on +27 (0)12 991 0718 or email  SAPSAC.

World Fair Trade Day - A Big Day for the Planet, 9 May 2009
It's taken 60 years to get to World Fair Trade Day 2009. World Fair Trade Day has grown into a global celebration of Fair Trade with events organised around the world on and around the second Saturday of May by members of the International Fair Trade Association. Events have included Fair Trade breakfasts, talks, markets, live performances, fashion shows, carnivals, processions and protests. World Fair Trade Day helps increase global awareness of Fair Trade, campaign for justice in trade and promote sustainable environmental policy. Fair Trade products and produce from marginalised communities are showcased on the day. For more information, please visit the official World Fair Trade Day website.

INDABA Trade Show, Albert Luthuli Convention Centre ( Durban ICC), 9-12 May 2009
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 .

In addition, to meet with the FTTSA team or set-up an appointment, please contact FTTSA team or visit stand number DEC020 . For more information on the INDABA Trade Travel Show please visit INDABA .

International Events

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 .

Perspectives of Seaside Tourism: Challenges for Science and Business, Klaipeda , Lithuania , 7- 8 May 2009
The conference will address a broad range of key issues related to seaside tourism: the declining attraction of seaside resorts and seaside tourism sustainability; the rapidly changing preferences of the seaside tourists and related problems of professional training; interaction of seaside and hinterland tourism and networking of tourism institutions, to mention few. The participants are expected to present and discuss research results and practical issues leading to building a common platform for science and business. For more information about the conference visit: Seaside Tourism.

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 .

Resources

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.

Did you know?

§ The Gautrain project is expected to create a total of 148,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs over a twenty-year period. For more information on the Gautrain project click here .