‘Middle East can learn from Sth African experience’: Seif
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Fair Trade in Tourism chief says region should embrace ‘responsible tourism’…The Middle East can learn valuable lessons from South Africa to help avoid mass tourism pitfalls en route to economic growth as a responsible tourism destination, the executive director of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) has claimed.Jennifer Seif says high resource consumption, and competition over natural resources, are common challenges to the Middle East’s and South Africa’s tourism industries.An equally important issue for both in the development of sustainable tourism is the need to find workable models for community-based tourism and effective partnerships between the public, private and civil society sectors, she adds.Seif will spotlight lessons learnt in South Africa when she addresses the second World Green Tourism conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from December 5-7.The FTTSA, a non-profit organisation, has pioneered the world’s first tourism Fair Trade labelling initiative to give consumers environmentally and socially responsible travel options. FTTSA certifies tourist accommodation, activities and attractions in South Africa against a standard comprised of labour, socio-economic, management and environmental criteria.The fair trade label attracts ethically minded travellers who choose tourism providers that deliver travel experiences shown to be good for people and the planet.The organisation has begun certifying packaged travel to South Africa, and hopes the model can be adopted internationally, including the Middle East.At World Green Tourism Seif will outline how the initiative can benefit long-term tourism competitiveness and sustainability, contributing positively to the ‘triple bottom line’- economically, environmentally, and socio-culturally. “South Africa can learn from best practice in the Middle East, and vice versa,” said Seif. “South Africa’s successful hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup may provide inspiration to Qatar 2022 and to the hosting of other future mega events in both the Middle East and Africa. I will present Fair Trade Travel as a tool for destination management and marketing and show how Fair Trade labelling can contribute to tourism competitiveness at both firm and destination level.”
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