FTTSA News Flash!
By Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa - Project organization, July 25, 2007 05:20 PM
Hello Friends and Partners,
After a chilly June, this month brings some interesting activities in the FTTSA arena. We introduce our 29th certified establishment and provide information on recent and upcoming FTTSA events.
Cape Grace on Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is now FTTSA-certified
Cape Grace is set on its own private quay on Cape Town’s vibrant Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The hotel is an exquisite 5-star establishment with a strong commitment to its staff, which is reflected in the genuine warmth and excellent service given to guests. Cape Grace has been awarded Certification based on its exceptional employment practices, supply chain management strategies and focus on staff welfare. For more information, visit www.capegrace.com.
FTTSA to Host Workshop on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Tourism - 21 & 23 August 2007
FTTSA will be hosting a one day workshop to introduce “The Code” to the South African tourism industry. In 1998, a global network known as ECPAT (“End Child Prostitution and Trafficking”) developed a global Code of Conduct that hotels, resorts, tour operators and other tourism businesses can adopt, implement and report on. The main purpose of The Code is to make the problem of child sexual exploitation more visible and enable local destination stakeholders to take action against exploitative behaviour by tourists or others associated with the industry. To introduce The Code to South African stakeholders, FTTSA will host a workshop in Sandton, Johannesburg (21 August) and in Cape Town (23 August), featuring international and regional experts and case studies. For more information, contact Adele Rademan on (012) 342 8307 or adele@fairtourismsa.org.za. Learn more about the Code at www.thecode.org.
Community-based Agri-tourism
FTTSA is collaborating with the Dutch Fair Trade organisation, Solidaridad on a two-year project to empower emerging farmers in South Africa, with funding by the European Union and the Dutch Oak Tree Foundation. FTTSA is responsible for implementing the tourism component of the project, which aims to assist nine Fair Trade producer groups to build up their own capacity to operate successful and sustainable tourism enterprises. In May a two-day introductory workshop on sustainable tourism took place near Upington in the Northern Cape, targeting 19 women from the Eksteenskuil community who produce and export Fair-Trade raisins. This was followed by another workshop in June, for employee-owners of the Thandi Farm Kitchen situated on the N2 between Kromco and Houhoek in the Western Cape. For more information on the project, contact the Project Manager, Tatia Currie on Tel: 012 342 8307 or Email: tatia@fairtourismsa.org.za.
FTTSA Accelerates Sustainable Tourism Training
FTTSA has developed an introductory workshop on sustainable tourism, aimed at adult learners employed in the sector or living in communities affected by tourism development. This two-day workshop is offered by a team of 15 professional trainers who have been specially trained and accredited by FTTSA. The trainers recently got together in Port Elizabeth to share information and exchange lessons learnt over the past year and to plan ways of accelerating the roll-out of workshops during 2007 and 2008. For more information on the workshops, contact Masa Damane on Tel: 043 701 9625 or Email: masa@fairtourismsa.org.za.
In addition to this workshop, FTTSA offers a two-day seminar on sustainable tourism in partnership with the University of South Africa (UNISA) Centre for Corporate Citizenship. Two of these seminars were held in June, targeting the private sector (Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route) and public sector tourism bodies (Port Elizabeth). For further information on the Unisa seminar, contact Tatia Currie on Tel: 012 342 8307 or Email: tatia@fairtourismsa.org.za.
Buffalo City Municipality working with FTTSA to grow Tourism Awareness in the Eastern Cape
Staff from the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) regional office in East London recently attended two workshops hosted by Buffalo City Municipality (BCM), in King Williams Town on 21 June 2007 and in Mdantsane on 25 June 2007. The purpose of both workshops was to raise community awareness about tourism. Each event was attended by more than 300 delegates, many of whom are already working in tourism, plus those seeking new entry into the sector. Delegates were introduced to the concept of tourism, the opportunities and the challenges of tourism development, and the municipal structures in place to manage tourism development. FTTSA made a presentation on the principles of sustainable tourism, which received a very positive response, and staff in the Eastern Cape will continue to fly the flag of improved sustainability in the Province.
www.fairtourismsa.org.za Selected as Finalist in SANGONeT NGO Web Awards 2007
FTTSA’s website has been selected as a finalist in the second annual SANGONeT (South African Non-Governmental Organisation Network) Web Awards 2007. Forty-six applications were received, out of which 10 finalists were chosen based on their ability to communicate their causes to target audiences creatively and effectively. On 17 July 2007, three winners will be announced at the gala dinner of SANGONeT's third annual ICTs for Civil Society Conference, also marking SANGONeT's 20th anniversary celebrations. Learn more at: http://www.sangonet.org.za.
Lesheba’s Centre For Indigenous Knowledge
Lesheba Wilderness (certified by FTTSA in May 2007) works very closely with the local Venda community, with an emphasis on empowering historically disadvantaged artists and crafters and preserving indigenous knowledge. The Lesheba Venda Arts and Culture Trust (LVACT) was established in 2003 to foster better understanding and utilisation of ‘Indigenous Knowledge Systems’ combined with ‘Appropriate Technology’ to achieve sustainable development objectives. The LVACT initiative shows a respect for culture, sustainability and the environment, key criteria in FTTSA certification. For more information, visit www.lesheba.com.
South Africa Gets 8th World Heritage Site
At the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee held in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the eighth South African World Heritage Site. Richtersveld joins the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park (Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park), uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Robben Island, The Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Vredefort Dome and the Fossil Hominid-bearing Sites of South Africa (Cradle of Humankind, Makapan Valley and Taung Skull Fossil Sites). For more information on South Africa’s rich and growing portfolio of world heritage, visit http://www.deat.gov.za/.
RSS -
Subscribe to "Updates from the Field" by E-Mail