Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) works with a variety of mainstream, emerging and community-based tourism enterprises that provide services directly to tourists.
In order to receive the Fair Trade in Tourism Trademark, businesses must be able to show they are committed to fair and responsible practices. The trademark provides them with added credibility and allows them to benefit from access to the niche market provided by the growing number of socially conscious tourists arriving in South Africa.
The trademark is the symbol of fairness in tourism business. It stands for:
Fair wages;
Fair working conditions;
Fair operations;
Fair purchasing;
Fair distribution of benefits;
Ethical business practices; and
Respect for human rights, culture and environment.
The trademark is a sign to customers and suppliers that a business is committed to Fair Trade in Tourism principles, and that it complies with Fair Trade in Tourism criteria.
Globally, increasing numbers of tourists are choosing travel experiences that do not exploit local people, and that respect their culture and natural resources.
The trademark provides tourism products that are serious about issues like rural development and responsible tourism with a valuable and unique selling point that can be advantageous in the marketplace.
The trademark also reflects honest advertising. Many businesses recognise the new marketing opportunity that the trend towards fair tourism has created. Not surprisingly then, more and more businesses are claiming their products ‘benefit” local communities. All too often these claims are false and communities see few if any real benefits.
The trademark acts as an independent ‘stamp of approval” offering consumers a guarantee that the product they choose is fairly traded and reliable. It also provides tour operators with the assurances they need to sell ‘fair trade” products in source markets.
In addition, the trademark boosts community-based and other structurally disadvantaged tourism enterprises’ access to domestic and international markets.
Trademark users are committed to local economic development, employment equity, skills development and support for ’emerging” enterprises in the tourism economy.
This commitment will help to achieve national goals of sustainable development and sustainable job creation, benefiting the economy as a whole, and providing an environment conducive to responsible tourism.