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Amakhala Game Reserve featured in United Nations Environment Programme publication
FTTSA was asked by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to submit an article featuring FTTSA certified clients, demonstrating how the clients make concrete differences in the tourism sector through their positive influence on peoples’ lives and the environment. The article is published UNEP’s The Environment and Poverty Times, entitled “Reducing poverty and conserving nature through responsible tourism development”. The article features FTTSA certified establishments in the Amakhala Game Reserve and their social, economical and environmental contributions. The full article is available at grida on page 25.

Bulungula Lodge gets 2nd place in the British Travel Awards
One of the FTTSA-certified establishments, Bulungula Lodge was awarded 2nd place in the British Travel Awards under the ethical travel category.

Bulungula Lodge is an eco-friendly backpacker’s lodge in arguably one of the most beautiful places in South Africa, the majestic Wild Coast. The Lodge is a joint venture partnership between a South African entrepreneur and the Xhosa-speaking Nqileni community. To view this amazing lodge visit, Bulungula Lodge.

The British Travel Awards are the largest awards in the UK, created to reward the best companies in travel and recognised by consumers and travel professionals throughout the UK. To find out more information on the awards, visit The British Travel Awards.

Two FTTSA establishments are finalists for the Imvelo Responsible Tourism awards!
FTTSA-certified establishments Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve and !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre are finalists for the 2009 Imvelo Awards. Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve which is situated on the southern section of the Kruger National Park has been nominated under two catergories - best social involvement programme and best overall environmental management system. !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre situated 70 km north-west of Cape Town has been nominated under Investor in people award. Please visit these amazing establishments on Sabi Sabi Game Reserve and !Khwa ttu.

The Imvelo awards recognise tourism and hospitality businesses that make a real, measurable and sustained contribution to Responsible Tourism. The Imvelo Awards have had a huge impact on tourism in South Africa by creating significant awareness of environmental management issues in the industry. To find out more about the Imvelo awards click here. FTTSA has extreme confidence that Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve and !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre are deserving of the Imvelo Awards. FTTSA wishes these two establishments all the best of luck for the Imvelo Awards.

FTTSA in the news
FTTSA received good media coverage over the preceding months in the print media. We work with over 300 national and international media contacts in our internal database who promote responsible tourism. FTTSA is using News Clip Media Monitoring who sends us daily and monthly reports of print appearances quantifying the value of coverage received. Each article is provided with an A.V.E (Advertising Value Equivalent) measurement. Newsclip’s A.V.E calculation method is based on an internationally accepted method, whereby the advertising rate is used to calculate the value of a particular space in a magazine. The value of editorial content is therefore calculated in the approximate amount of money a client would have to pay should they wish to place an advertisement or editorial in that publication. If the article mentioning the client is ½ a page in size, and the equivalent half page advertising rate is R 10 000, then that is the value of the editorial. Proportional values are used for other sizes. To view FTTSA latest print appearances visit, FTTSA in the News.

New Beginnings for the Regional for the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA)
The Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA) is a Southern African Development Community (SADC) body that is responsible for the promotion and marketing of tourism in the SADC region. In October, at its 42nd Board meeting, RETOSA approved the Strategic Plan, which is aimed at addressing challenges faced by the region in developing and growing tourism.

The lack of growth has been attributed to constraints which include the under - exploitation of the rich tourism potential, lack of proper infrastructure development, price competitiveness and non aggressive marketing of the region. The participating SADC countries are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Resources
Aid for Trade: Is the European Union (EU) helping small producers to trade their way out of poverty?
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) and the Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO) have issued a new publication entitled: ‘Aid for Trade (AfT): Is the EU helping small producers to trade their way out of poverty?’

The objectives for this paper are as follows:
• To analyse data and information about past European Union Aid for Trade funding with relation to small producers. This will be done looking specifically at four donors, the United Kingdom (UK), Belgium (BE), the Netherlands (NL) and the European Commission (EC) in the context of the EU’s strategy on Aid for Trade and looking at six case studies of Aid for Trade projects funded by these donors.
• It also provides a brief overview of the history of Aid for Trade and examines what small producers in poor countries would want this money to be spent on and what programmes could possibly be utilized to realise these demands.

The discussion on Aid for Trade started towards the end of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO). The importance of trade for development was emphasised by the international community at the 2002 UN Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico. For more information please click here.

National Events

2009 Imvelo awards ceremony, Melrose Arch, Gauteng, 11 November 2009
Imvelo, running for the eighth year, awards tourism businesses that demonstrate sustained responsible practice in their operations in terms of their natural, social and economic environments. A record number of 183 category entries were received this year. To attend the awards RSVP before 4 November to Lynda Bacon, Tel 011 467 5009, fedhasa@fedhasa.co.za

8th Annual National Tourism Conference, Emperors Palace, Gauteng, 30 October 2009
The Department of Tourism will be hosting the 8th Annual National Tourism Conference with this year’s theme “Building a Service Excellence and Accessible Tourism Culture and Partnerships in Tourism for 2010 and Beyond.”

The conference programme includes:

Guests of honor include Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism; Tokozile Xasa, Deputy Minister of Tourism; Nomvula Mokonyane, Premier of Gauteng; Ntombi Mekgwe, Mayor of Ekurhuleni and several other high profile international and local experts on service excellence. The Department of Tourism is expecting Tourism Industry Players (Decision Makers), Organs of State, Organised Labour Communities, Civil Society and Media to all be in attendance. For more information please email Glenda Esemang or phone +27 (0)12 310 3946 or e-mail Nthabeleng Chokoe or phone +27 (0)12 310 3987.

Hospitality Investment Conference Africa (HICA), Sandton, Johannesburg, 4-6 November 2009
HICA provides a platform for members of the hospitality industry to discuss current global trends and showcase what the African continent has on offer for regional and international investors. The focus of this year’s conference will be on how responsible tourism can help create better areas for people to live in and visit. Visit the HICA website for more information about the 2009 conference.

International Events

Travel Trade Workshop (TTW), Montreux, Switzerland, 4-5 November 2009
The Travel Trade Workshop (TTW) is Switzerland’s largest travel show and a popular item on the international travel calendar. FTTSA will be attending to promote FTTSA-certified tourism products and to showcase South Africa as a leading international responsible tourism destination. The South African Pavilion will be sponsored by the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), South African Tourism (SAT) and the South African Embassy in Switzerland. SIPPO helps small and medium-sized companies in emerging markets and markets in transition to gain access to Swiss and EU markets and is carried out by Osec Business Network Switzerland since 2008. For more information please visit the Travel Trade Workshop website. For more information on SIPPO click here.

World Travel Market, ExCel London, 9-12 November 2009
The World Travel Market is a must attend event on in the international tourism calendar. It is a four-day business to business event that showcases a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and International travel professionals. It is a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business under one roof. By attending World Travel Market, participants efficiently, effectively and productively gain immediate competitive advantage for their business and stay abreast with the latest developments in the travel industry. For more information please visit World Travel Market.

Did you know?
The volume of travelers expected for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa is approximately 15 times bigger than the 1995 Rugby World Cup. All indications are that approximately 220 000 long haul visitors will attend, 180 000 visitors from Africa and an average of 150 000 local supporters.