SA: a world leader in fair tourism practices

JULIAN Matthews, md of UK tour operation Discovery Initiatives, a business dedicated to ‘responsible tourism’, addressed representatives of the tourism industry in Sandton on Wednesday on global trends towards fair and responsible tourism. He was hosted by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, which aims to ensure that all tourism establishments follow fair and responsible business practices. Matthews said South Africa was a world leader in ‘fair’ tourism, with the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa Trademark the first of its kind in the world. He said as recently as 1997, the industry and consumers were ignorant about ‘fair’ or ‘responsible’ tourism. “Although tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world, only about 10% of a tourist’s average holiday spend is spent at/or benefits the destination. Tourism also often degrades the environment - 30% of natural habitats have been lost in the last three decades, partly due to poor tourism. Tourism can burn your house down unless you manage it well,” said Matthews. He remarked that recent research conducted by UK based, Tearfund, revealed that most tourists were prepared to pay extra for tourism benefiting local communities and the host country and supported a responsible tourism code of conduct. Tourists increasingly support the concept of ‘fair trade’ and/or ‘green tourism’, with many special tours being developed along these lines. “65% of UK tourists would like to know how to support the local economy and preserve the environment, so they can behave responsibly when they go on holiday. And 71% think it is important that their travel arrangements benefit people living in the destination through jobs and business opportunities,” Matthews added. “Responsible or fair travel will ultimately be something everyone in the industry has to be involved in to maintain the integrity of tourist destinations and services. The South African travel industry has shown tremendous interest in practicing responsible tourism – an initiative supported by government. I believe that Fair Trade in Tourism is not an optional extra – it must become the accepted norm in travel if we are to maintain the very essence of why we all like to travel,” he concluded. (Miguel de Sousa)