Developing Standards and Certification for Voluntourism Experiences in South Africa
Introduction
“Voluntourism” refers to travel that combines elements of organised voluntary work with leisure travel and is a fast growing niche market in the global tourism industry. Thousands of “voluntourists” visit South Africa annually, including significant numbers from Europe who purchase voluntour packages through travel companies or directly from inbound service providers.
While voluntourism represents an enormous resource for socio-economic development and conservation in post-apartheid South Africa, there are a number of challenges that must be managed to optimize benefits for the destination, i.e. to ensure that communities’ needs are being met, that financial leakage is kept to a minimum, that skills transfer is sustainable and that the rights of vulnerable groups (e.g. children, people living with HIV/Aids, etc.) are protected.
About the Project
The purpose of the FTTSA-led project, funded in part by the SST Foundation in Switzerland, is to incentivise responsible operations within the expanding voluntourism sector by extending FTTSA certification to companies and organisations facilitating voluntourism experiences for tourists. Research conducted by FTTSA in the last quarter of 2008 indicates demand for certification by businesses involved in voluntourism, as well as a perceived need for self-regulation within this growing sector.
This research emanates from the November 2007 publication of a Code of Conduct for responsible voluntourism, which was compiled by a number of leading South African voluntourism operators. The content of this Code of Conduct will provide a useful starting point for the project, and strengthens the case for certification i.e. as an independent means of verifying private sector commitment to specific principles and values. To download a copy of this document, click here >>>
FTTSA certification of voluntourism operators will convey a practical, value-adding framework for recognising and promoting best practice, and will enable outbound travel companies in Europe and elsewhere as well as volunteer-tourists to identify and support responsibly operated programmes.
The opportunities and challenges associated with voluntourism as a new travel trend are not specific to South Africa. The standards and certification processes developed in South Africa will be able to inform similar projects in other developing countries where voluntourism is prevalent. The project will also contribute to ongoing efforts to define and operationalise Fair Trade in Tourism on a global scale.
Project Objectives
- To develop standards for Fair Trade voluntourism in South Africa, in collaboration with stakeholders;
- To develop tools and procedures for assessing and certifying voluntourism products;
- To market the certification programme to voluntourism operators in South Africa;
- To certify at least 3 products by April 2010;
- To raise awareness about Fair Trade voluntourism and encourage international tour operators and consumers to use FTTSA-certified voluntourism products.
Project Outcomes
- Voluntourism operators in South Africa have acquired an improved understanding of the principles of Fair Trade and the need to apply these to their operations;
- Voluntourism operators in South Africa have acquired an improved understanding of the value and benefits associated with FTTSA certification;
- The positive impacts of voluntourism as a tool for local development are enhanced, while negative impacts are reduced e.g. through improved attention to managing interactions between volunteers and hosts;
- Consumers and travel intermediaries are able to identify and support responsible voluntourism operators in South Africa based on FTTSA certification;
- The FTTSA-certified product portfolio has expanded through the provision of services to a new segment of the South African tourism industry, and FTTSA is more sustainable.
Information
For further information, or to be added to the mailing list, please contact the Project Manager:
Katarina Mancama
Tel: +27 (0)12 342 2945
Fax: +27 (0)12 342 2946
E-mail: Katarina@fairtourismsa.org.za
