Pretoria, South Africa, 22 October 2003 (FTTSA /IUCN) - Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) today announced the first four tourism businesses to be awarded its groundbreaking trademark in South Africa.
The four businesses, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve (Mpumalanga), Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge (Limpopo), Stormsriver Adventures (Eastern Cape) and The Village at Spier Hotel and Conference Centre (Western Cape) are the first in the world to be certified for their work in promoting Fair Trade in tourism.
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) is aligned to the international Fair Trade movement, which certifies products produced according to "fair" labour practices. Annual sales of Fair Trade products exceed US$500 million internationally.
FTTSA was established by IUCN - The World Conservation Union in 2001 to promote equitable and sustainable tourism development in South Africa. Criteria that FTTSA evaluates before certifying a tourism product as "fair" include fair wages and working conditions, fair distribution of benefits, ethical business practice and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Tourism businesses applying for the trademark undergo a stringent assessment process, and are reviewed by a three-member Trademark Panel, before the trademark is awarded. The panel comprises experts from the National Business Initiative and Grant Thornton Kessel Feinstein and is chaired by Jennifer Seif, National Coordinator for Fair Trade in Tourism SA.
Announcing the trademark recipients, Seif praised the four tourism businesses for being "world leaders in implementing fair and responsible business practice". Between them, they have implemented laudable socio-economic programmes, focusing on local employment, affirmative procurement, employment equity, skills development, HIV/Aids awareness schemes, environmental education and community support initiatives, she said.
Said Seif: "Our role in the tourism sector is to focus on the often overlooked social and economic, as well as environmental, impacts of tourism development, and to ensure that progress gets recognised. The Fair Trade Trademark not only gives responsible tourism companies recognition for their efforts, but helps them to benefit from the growing number of socially conscious tourists attracted to this region."
Seif said that the past decade had seen rapid growth in global fair trade, with sales of Fair Trade products growing by 21% in Europe and the US over the past year. "Leading fair trade countries, such as the UK, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, are also some of South Africa's primary tourism markets," she said. "Becoming leaders in fair and responsible tourism will help South Africa to develop these markets."
Said Tanya Abrahamse, Executive Director of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), "the principles of Fair Trade are integral to transformation of South Africa's tourism industry. It is encouraging to see some players in the industry taking such exemplary action. I trust that others will follow suit".
For more information contact:
Keith Gordon; keith@fairtourismsa.org.za
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa,
http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za
or
Xenya Cherny; xenya.cherny@iucn.org
Communications
IUCN - The World Conservation Union,
http://iucn.org
For more information on the Trademark:
http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za/trademark/index.html
The four businesses, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve (Mpumalanga), Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge (Limpopo), Stormsriver Adventures (Eastern Cape) and The Village at Spier Hotel and Conference Centre (Western Cape) are the first in the world to be certified for their work in promoting Fair Trade in tourism.
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) is aligned to the international Fair Trade movement, which certifies products produced according to "fair" labour practices. Annual sales of Fair Trade products exceed US$500 million internationally.
FTTSA was established by IUCN - The World Conservation Union in 2001 to promote equitable and sustainable tourism development in South Africa. Criteria that FTTSA evaluates before certifying a tourism product as "fair" include fair wages and working conditions, fair distribution of benefits, ethical business practice and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Tourism businesses applying for the trademark undergo a stringent assessment process, and are reviewed by a three-member Trademark Panel, before the trademark is awarded. The panel comprises experts from the National Business Initiative and Grant Thornton Kessel Feinstein and is chaired by Jennifer Seif, National Coordinator for Fair Trade in Tourism SA.
Announcing the trademark recipients, Seif praised the four tourism businesses for being "world leaders in implementing fair and responsible business practice". Between them, they have implemented laudable socio-economic programmes, focusing on local employment, affirmative procurement, employment equity, skills development, HIV/Aids awareness schemes, environmental education and community support initiatives, she said.
Said Seif: "Our role in the tourism sector is to focus on the often overlooked social and economic, as well as environmental, impacts of tourism development, and to ensure that progress gets recognised. The Fair Trade Trademark not only gives responsible tourism companies recognition for their efforts, but helps them to benefit from the growing number of socially conscious tourists attracted to this region."
Seif said that the past decade had seen rapid growth in global fair trade, with sales of Fair Trade products growing by 21% in Europe and the US over the past year. "Leading fair trade countries, such as the UK, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, are also some of South Africa's primary tourism markets," she said. "Becoming leaders in fair and responsible tourism will help South Africa to develop these markets."
Said Tanya Abrahamse, Executive Director of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), "the principles of Fair Trade are integral to transformation of South Africa's tourism industry. It is encouraging to see some players in the industry taking such exemplary action. I trust that others will follow suit".
For more information contact:
Keith Gordon; keith@fairtourismsa.org.za
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa,
http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za
or
Xenya Cherny; xenya.cherny@iucn.org
Communications
IUCN - The World Conservation Union,
http://iucn.org
For more information on the Trademark:
http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za/trademark/index.html