With just over a week to go until WTM Africa 2016, Fair Trade Tourism is working hard to make the event a flagship one for its world-leading brand of sustainable, responsible tourism across Africa.
WTM Africa, which takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in South Africa’s Mother City from April 6 to April 8, is firmly focused on the challenges facing the African tourism industry and the absolute need for industry stakeholders and role-players to adopt responsible, sustainable business models.
Fair Trade Tourism has once again partnered with WTM Africa and show organisers Thebe Reed to promote the ethics of responsible tourism and trading fairly, whether it be limiting tourism’s impact on the environment, procuring products from sustainable, ethical suppliers or ensuring that the benefits from a holiday are shared by everyone involved in it.
This year, Fair Trade Tourism will be on Stand No A30 in the main hall of the CTICC. The stand itself has a fresh, new look and will be home to seven of the organisation’s clients who are co-exhibiting. These are: Antrim Villa; Thaba Eco Hotel; Kololo Private Game Reserve; the Vineyard Group; Marine Dynamics/Dyer Island Cruises; the South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance and the Mercure hotel group.
The organisation will also be participating in several key events, including a special media launch of The Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct (The Code) video raising awareness of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the tourism industry. This takes place in the show’s Press Conference Room at 11h30 on Wednesday April 6 and is open to all members of the media and interested parties.
Fair Trade Tourism will also be participating in a panel session following a special screening of the hard-hitting documentary “Blood Lions,” which takes place at 16h00 on Wednesday April 6 in the main theatre. This panel session will look at new criteria being introduced to the voluntourism sector as well as examining the ethics surrounding how we sell Africa and the use of wild animal interactions in tourism.
The Fair Trade Tourism client networking breakfast takes place on the morning of April 8 at the Cullinan Hotel. Space for this popular event has been snapped up fast, and there are limited seats still available which are being filled on a first-come, first-served basis.