Inaugural Fair Trade Excellence Awards announced during Indaba

Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) announced the winners of its first annual Fair Trade Excellence Awards in recognition of outstanding performance by its members in particular aspects of its certification programme. The awards are based on outcomes of site assessments that have been completed since Indaba 2010.

The four Fair Trade Excellence award categories and this year’s winners are as follows:

-       Workplace – Mercure Hotel Randburg in Johannesburg

-       Broader Community – Fairfield Mountain Cottages, near Ceres in the Western Cape

-       Environmental Stewardship – Three-way tie between Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse, near Riebeek Kasteel in the Western Cape; Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast; and Farm 215 nature retreat and fynbos reserve between Stanford and Agulhas.

-       Staff Health and Welfare – Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse, near Riebeek Kasteel

FTTSA executive director Jennifer Seif says: “FTTSA certification is a powerful, cost-effective quality management system addressing fourteen operational areas of a tourism business and evaluating how well the business applies these within the context of sustainability and Fair Trade.”

A further 18 members of the FTTSA family of certified businesses were commended for achieving five or more consecutive years of FTTSA certification. These include: The Backpack; Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse; Bulungula Lodge; Calabash Tours: Real City Tour & Shebeen Tour; Djuma Private Game Reserve; Grootbos Private Nature Reserve; Hog Hollow Country Lodge; Jan Harmsgat Country House; Klippe Rivier Country House; Masakala Guesthouse; Motswari Private Game Reserve; Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve; Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge; Soekershof Private Mazes and Botanical Gardens; Spier; Stormsriver Adventures; Tswalu Kalahari; and Umlani Bushcamp.

Seif adds: “These long-term relationships show that FTTSA has staying power and that FTTSA certification adds value to tourism business year after year.”