Welcome to the October edition of FTTSA's newsflash. We hope you enjoy reading it!
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!Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre wins Eco Tourism Award!
FTTSA-certified !Kwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre won the Skål International Ecotourism Awards in the 'General Countryside' category. The award ceremony was held in Sydney, Australia on 8 October. !Khwa ttu introduces visitors to the descendants 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. FTTSA congratulates !Khwa ttu on its achievement.
FTTSA Congratulates!
On behalf of the FTTSA team, we would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to White Shark Projects and Stormsriver Adventures for their recent nomination as finalists for the 2010 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards. FTTSA salutes these two FTTSA-certified clients for their achievements, and we wish them all the best of luck for the 2010 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards. The FTTSA team will be holding thumbs at the final awards presentation ceremony in Johannesburg on 10 November 2010.
Please send us your client stories! Email khaya@fairtourismsa.org.za
FTTSA participates at the Rural Economic Development (RED) Summit Conference
FTTSA Executive Director, Jennifer Seif facilitated a panel discussion on the principles of sustainable Tourism Enterprise Development at the RED Summit Conference, held 18 -- 20 October 2010 at Sun City.
The Summit focused on engaging communities and the private, public and civil sectors to drive Rural Economic Development (RED) in South Africa. Seif highlighted that tourism developers should research and understand their markets more strategically and went on to stress other factors key to the success of rural tourism including location, quality and market knowledge. "Developers and owners of rural tourism enterprises need to understand that 'tourists' are not a real target market. Rural tourism operators need to take a segmented approach to marketing by asking key questions about their target market," says Seif. To find out more about the RED Summit update, click here.
Register your tourism business on the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa (STNSA) website
FTTSA is the Secretariat for the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa (STNSA). STNSA offers tourism businesses in Africa an opportunity to list their tourism products on this website free of charge. The STNSA site aims to provide a channel for all SADC countries to exchange experiences and best practices regarding sustainable tourism policy and practice throughout the region. It also contains useful information on how to operate more sustainably and other useful resources.
By registering to become a member of the network you will be able to:
- Share your ideas, opinions and comments on different topics relevant to sustainable tourism;
- Add your details on the network 'links' page to increase your exposure in SADC and abroad;
- Post your events on the network calendar; and
- Provide information for inclusion in network publications including newsletters, case studies and other research papers
- To become an STNSA member and to register your business visit STNSA.
New face at FTTSA
FTTSA welcomes Miriam Daepp as an intern for a period of four months to assist the FTTSA Marketing Department to facilitate travel trade linkages. Miriam is from Switzerland and she holds a BSc in Business Administration from the Berne University of Applied Sciences. With her background in trade relations development in both Switzerland and the UK, Miriam brings her knowledge of these two target markets for tourism to FTTSA. This is for the benefit of our FTTSA-certified clients and tour operator partners.
"I am very excited about this opportunity. I wrote my thesis on Corporate Social Responsibility and am now eager to learn more about the related subject of fair trade. As consumers are getting more aware about social and ecological issues related to tourism I am happy to make a contribution in this growing and ever important sector," says Miriam. Visit FTTSA Staff to see who is who.
FTTSA supports "Meat Free Mondays"
Meat Free Mondays is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. According to the Worldwatch Institute, globally some 56 billion animals are raised and slaughtered for food each year. Having a Meat Free Monday every week is a simple way to start making a difference in the world and slow climate change. FTTSA urges everyone to support Meat Free Mondays
FTTSA in the news
In a unique partnership between FTTSA and the South Africa's National Development Agency (NDA), six community-based tourism projects and FTTSA-certified tourism businesses were showcased in a six-page tourism supplement in the Mail and Guardian published on 17 September 2010. FTTSA uses a company called News Clip Media Monitoring who sends us daily and monthly reports of print appearances quantifying the value of coverage received. Every article is provided with an A.V.E (Advertising Value Equivalent) measurement for each page. This supplement had the total A.V.E measurement of ZAR 401, 074.80. FTTSA is very proud of this supplement, which you can read here.
National Events
2010 Imvelo Awards Ceremony, Melrose Arch, Gauteng, 10 November 2010
Imvelo, running for the ninth year, awards tourism businesses that demonstrate sustainable responsible practice in their operations in terms of their natural, social and economic environments. A record number of 219 category entries were received this year and 23 tourism businesses made it to the finals in this year's awards programme. To attend the award ceremony RSVP before 4 November to Lynda Bacon or call 011 467 5009.
2010 International Tourism Conference on Global Sustainable Tourism, Mbombela, Mpumalanga, 15-19 November 2010
Mbombela Local Municipality and the Tshwane University of Technology's Department of Tourism Management are pleased to announce the 2010 International Tourism Conference on Global Sustainable Tourism. The aim of the conference is to provide tourism scholars, practitioners, and other stakeholders with an opportunity to explore and debate issues relating to sustainable practices in tourism. FTTSA will be a keynote speaker at this conference. For more information, visit Global Sustainable Tourism.
Tourism Business Conference, Southern Sun Grayston, Sandton, Johannesburg, 1 December 2010
The one day Tourism Business Conference will be packed with useful ideas and information that you can use in your tourism related profession or business. The conference is aimed at decision makers in the industry from owners and managers of hotel, B&B's and function facilities to tour operators and destination marketing organisations. The conference concentrates on various issues like technology and e-commerce, the best marketing mix for your enterprise, responsible tourism and greening policies, using the internet and social media to attract more business, customer relationship marketing and how new policies and acts can influence your business. Book on-line at Tourism Business or contact the organisers, CADEK Media on 021 855 4750.
International Events
Travel Trade Workshop (TTW), Montreux, Switzerland, 3-4 November 2010
The Travel Trade Workshop (TTW) is Switzerland's largest travel show and a popular item on the international travel calendar. FTTSA and some FTTSA-certified tourism businesses will attend the TTW. FTTSA will be attending to promote FTTSA-certified tourism businesses and responsible tourism.
FTTSA-certified tourism businesses attending are:
The South African Pavilion will be sponsored by the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) 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 has been carried out by Osec Business Network Switzerland since 2008. For more information please visit the Travel Trade Workshop website.
Announcements
Changemakers' Geotourism Challenge 2010!
Ashoka's Changemakers, National Geographic and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) are searching for innovative solutions for coastal, waterway, and island destinations that protect the environment and strengthen the heritage and livelihoods of local residents.
From 8 September to 1 December 2010, you can nominate or submit a solution to help save coastal and freshwater destinations. The competition deadline is 1 December 2010, for more information visit Changemakers.
Call for entries for 2011 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is inviting tourism businesses and destinations worldwide to apply for the 2011 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Applicants may enter in one of four categories: Global Tourism Business, Conservation, Community Benefit and Destination Stewardship, showcasing best practice in sustainable tourism. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are organised in association with Travelport and the Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation. Applications may be submitted online on Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The deadline for applications is 10 December 2010. For further media information, please contact: Elliott Frisby, Communications Director, +44 (0) 2074818007, +44 (0) 7891 937931, elliott.frisby@wttc.org
Did you know?
- Coffee is in a high market since the beginning of 2010, coffee prices have risen over 45% to a 13-year high and the effects are filtering throughout the market Fairtrade.
- Latest research from Mintel reveals that despite cutbacks in other areas, fairtrade chocolate sales are staying sweet - with UK sales of chocolate confectionery increasing by 9. 2% between 2007 and 2009 to reach an estimated £3. 6 billion (about R39 billion) and sales projected to grow even further to £4. 1 billion (about R44 billion) by 2015. See Mintel research here.
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