Fair trade travel first ex UK holidays revealed

All components of Ananea package value chain certified by Fair Trade Tourism South Africa

Fair Trade holiday packages to South Africa were today revealed at an exclusive launch event in London, marking World Responsible Tourism Day.

All components of Kuoni’s Ananea package tour to South Africa (tour operator/s, activities and accommodation) as well as all contractual relationships in the value chain have been audited against Fair Trade Tourism standards and certified by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA).

This pioneering work marks the first time in the 50-year history of the global Fair Trade movement that systems have been developed to monitor the international trade in tourism services.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of Fairtrade Foundation in the UK, has congratulated FTTSA on leading the way in responding to the demand for responsible tourism. She says: “The success of Fairtrade in breaking through to the mainstream in so many countries shows how business can be both sustainable and succeed commercially. The public clearly wants the tourism industry also to step up to their responsibilities to the communities and workers on whom they depend. From South Africa to Peru, there are exciting opportunities to improve livelihoods”.

Lamb was the keynote speaker in the opening ceremony of World Responsible Tourism Day at the London World Travel Market, signalling growing consensus for a more holistic approach to responsible tourism that builds upon conventional firm- and destination-based models.

FTTSA has pioneered Fair Trade Tourism in South Africa over the past decade, having launched a product certification programme in 2003. According to Jennifer Seif, Executive Director of FTTSA, the inclusion of trade standards within the FTTSA programme is designed to ensure that workers and affected communities benefit from tourism through long-term trading relationships, full prepayment and binding cancellation agreements.

Fair Trade Tourism also monitors that commissions and contractual agreements are fair, creating a better deal for small and emerging tourism service providers. The fact that accommodation and activities in the packages are FTTSA-certified means that local social, economic and environmental impacts are managed equitably and responsibly resulting in net benefits for workers, small businesses and communities.

An additional amount (called a premium) is incorporated into the retail price of each holiday package and channelled into a cooperatively managed fund. The fund is responsible for investing premium monies in socio-economic development projects that will improve the quality of life of Fair Trade Tourism beneficiaries.

Seif adds that FTTSA will from next year lead a programme of work to scale up the supply of Fair Trade Tourism products and packages, with funding by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and other donors. Bringing the model to scale will enable project partners to measure consumer demand empirically and develop the business case for Fair Trade Tourism. Ultimately, FTTSA hopes that the model developed from southern Africa over the next four years will provide a basis for creating a worldwide Fair Trade label for tourism.

According to Roshene Singh, Chief Marketing Office for South African Tourism, “South Africa is proud to be the world’s first Fair Trade tourism destination. Tourism is one of South Africa’s biggest earners and it is critical that we retain as much revenue as possible in our country and ensure that tourism creates sustainable, quality jobs and livelihoods. FTTSA’s achievements are yet another example of how South Africa is pioneering responsible tourism, and we look forward to welcoming Fair Trade travellers to our diverse and beautiful country”.

This latest Fair Trade innovation is based on a unique South-North multi-stakeholder partnership incorporating tourism businesses, tourism development organisations, Fair Trade organisations and government agencies from no less than 14 countries. Lead technical and advocacy partners in Europe include arbeitskreis tourismus & entwicklung (akte) in Switzerland, EED-Tourism Watch in Germany and Tourism Concern in the UK.

Said Matthias Leisinger, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Kuoni, "As part of its Corporate Responsibility programme, Kuoni has been committed to sustainable tourism for many years. We believe our Fair Trade package to South Africa (available through our Ananea brochure) provides travellers with a wide variety of exciting holiday experiences whilst at the same time offering travellers the chance to support Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa."

The 13 night Kuoni Fair Trade Garden Route Tour takes in the Amakhala Game Reserve, Plettenberg    Bay, Swellendam, Overberg    and Stellenbosch. Accommodation is in FTTSA country houses, hotels and lodges.

In a further bid to promote a variety of fairly traded products from South Africa, Fairtrade wine from Thandi was served at the launch. Thandi was the first Fairtrade wine brand in the world, and 250 black farm worker families (of 4-5 members each) now own a 55% share of the Thandi brand, land and profits. The brand is supplied by grapes grown on 2 farms in Elgin and Stellenbosch.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Get your copy at a special offer price: HERE