[Source: Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa (STNSA)]Representatives of 9 sustainable tourism certification schemes in Africa and other sustainable tourism stakeholders came together in Johannesburg, South Africa between 18-20 January 2010 to consult with representatives of the newly formed Tourism Sustainability Council (TSC).
The meeting was facilitated by the Sustainable Tourism Network Southern Africa (STNSA), of which Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) is the Secretariat. FTTSA in a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability in tourism through: awareness raising, capacity building, research and advocacy, certification and marketing.
The Tourism Sustainability Council (TSC) was formed in September 2009. The TSC will offer support and tools to international tourism stakeholders to ensure that tourism helps, rather than damages, local communities and the environment. The TSC has proposed an international accreditation system for sustainable tourism certification programmes, and thus the main purpose of the meeting was to elicit input from African certification programmes that will be amongst the future users of the accreditation system.
Delegates expressed support for the TSC accreditation system, although a number of questions were also raised: · Many certification organisations were concerned that compliance with an international accreditation programme could potentially undermine the authority of strong national accreditation processes of counties such as South Africa and Brazil. · Although the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC), on which the TSC accreditation standards will in part be based, are internationally recognised standards, the GSTC need to be further clarified and would also have to be flexible to fit the African context. · Accreditation fees should be affordable and announced far in advance to enable certification organizations to build these fees into annual budgets and fee structures. · The possibilities that the TSC will in future offer membership directly to the tourism private sector could inadvertently undermine local certification programmes.
Apart from enabling African stakeholders to engage with the TSC, the meeting also enabled African certification organizations to network and exchange information with each other, which is essential for a more integrated approach to sustainable tourism on the continent.
Contacts:Jennifer Seif: Executive Director of FTTSA. Tel: +27 (0)12 342 2945.Email: jennifer@fairtourismsa.org.za. Web: www.fairtourismsa.org.za Catalina Echeverry: TSC/UN Foundation. Tel: +1 (2)02 887 9040.Email: cetcheverry@unfoundation.org. Web: http://www.unfoundation.org/>>
Read more
Download information
