Internationally, the world has never been more aware of our impact on the planet; initiatives such as Earth Hour and Earth Day are reaching countries right around the globe. Environmental and social responsibility are no longer just the domain of bunny-huggers and hippies.
As a result of increasing awareness around these ‘Green’ issues, more and more international travellers are now looking to practice responsible tourism – especially when travelling to countries such as South Africa which are part first, part third world destinations.
Over the past 10 years or so, the concept of Fair Trade has slowly been seeping into the consciousness of South Africans. The principles behind the global Fair Trade movement have been steadily growing in other first world countries for many years, where the general public are now more aware than ever that every item they purchase is made or grown somewhere in the world, often in the third world, and often in unfair or downright abusive environments. Much like those behind Beauty without Cruelty, proponents of the Fair Trade movement have pushed for better working conditions and ethical business practices for many, and by use of recognizable trademarks on everything from clothing to coffee, have given consumers ever-increasing opportunities to choose to support companies that practice fair trade.
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) is a non-profit organization that encourages and promotes fair and responsible business practice by tourism establishments in South Africa. This is done by inspecting establishments individually and awarding the FTTSA Trademark for use by those establishments which meet their stringent criteria. It is an independent symbol of fairness in the tourism industry.
The FTTSA criteria for establishments wanting to qualify include:
- Staff: Fair wages and working conditions, fair operations, purchasing and distribution of benefits.
- Ethics: Ethical business practice
- Responsibility: Respect for human rights, culture and the environment
Portfolio currently offer luxury benchmarked accommodation in South Africa in 8 beautiful establishments which carry the FTTSA Trademark with pride.
Over the next few weeks we will be featuring each of these establishments, detailing how they are actively providing fair, ethical and responsible tourist accommodation in South Africa.
The following Portfolio Establishments are FFTSA Compliant:
If you own a tourism establishment and would like to participate in the Certification Process, go to the FTTSA website for information.
