Members are welcomed to a network of like-minded businesses who share a vision for more inclusive, responsible and Fair Trade Tourism. They will have the opportunity to learn how they can adapt their operations to create more benefits for people and planet, while offering a rewarding travel experience

Eligibility If you would to become a member of the Fair Trade Tourism community, consider the following:

1. Is your tourism business based in Africa?
2. Is your business a tourism PRODUCT as defined by FTT? According to this definition, a tourism product provides facilities, services and / or experiences directly to tourists, e.g., an accommodation, activity, attractions, venue, food services, volunteer tourism, or community tour (a day experience involving 3rd party service providers).

If you answered "yes" to both questions above, please go ahead an register your business here. Once you have registered, we will contact you to confirm the details of your annual membership.

Benefits of Fair Trade Tourism membership include:

Technical support:

• access to a comprehensive sustainability management system based on the FTT Standard and criteria
• action planning tool to plot your journey from your current baseline, forward
• step-by-step guidance on how to shift your operations to align with Fair Trade Tourism principles, including templates and monitoring tools
• examples and tips from industry peers

Networking opportunities:

• learn from the experience of like-minded businesses through online meetings and chat groups
• be exposed to thought leaders and industry experts through webinars
• invitations to forthcoming annual events where ideas can be exchanged with industry peers

Members are not entitled to use the FTT logo; this is reserved for businesses that have successfully passed an independent audit.

 Annual Membership Fees

Register now to become a member and start your Fair Trade Tourism journey.

Fair Trade Tourism Certification remains a voluntary process, but is a must-have accolade for businesses looking to promote themselves in the growing responsible tourism market. It requires that a business pass an independent audit to verify their performance against Fair Trade Tourism's Standard, which contains a range of criteria that address business performance in

• local economic impact;
• community & social development;
• environmental impact management, including procurement, energy, transport, climate action, water conservation, solid waste management, and pollution prevention;
• labour practice & HR management,  including human rights, fair wages and working conditions, and health & safety;
• commitment and communication; and
• biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscapes.

FTT's comprehensive standard is designed to ensure that the local development context is prioritised, while periodic reviews ensure that we maintain our alignment with global best practice.

Eligibility: FTT Certification is available for:

• tourism products based in Africa; this includes accommodation, activities, attractions, food services, volunteer tourism, and community tours (day excursions involving 3rd party service providers)
• a tourism business that has been in operation for at least one (1) year (so that there is an established performance history to verify)
• a tourism business that is a Member of Fair Trade Tourism

Benefits of Fair Trade Tourism Certification include:

• reduced reputational risk through independent, transparent verification of your sustainability claims
• access to tour operators, travel agencies, and travellers that seek verified, sustainably-operated tourism products in the destination
• a Fair Trade Tourism certificate and logo-use rights which may be showcased in online marketing platforms and in reception areas / similar
• representation on the Fair Trade Tourism website
• preferential listings on OTA sustainability features, including Expedia, Booking.com, Destinet, and others
• invitations to submit relevant social media content for FTT's platforms
• invitations to participate in networking platforms
• invitations to webinars, with industry peer and topic expert presenters
• invitations to annual events where ideas can be exchanged with industry peers
• access to a support toolkit and action planning tool that unpacks the FTT standard into bite-sized modules for continuous improvement
• the opportunity for increased staff loyalty and job satisfaction, increased guest satisfaction, and reduced operating costs related to the implementation of more efficient systems - all of which are found to result from aligning tourism business operations with FTT principles and responsible tourism

Process for Fair Trade Tourism Certification:

1. register as a Member of FTT and pay the annual fee for access to the online platform (click "login" in the menu at the top of this page)
2. complete the online report of how your business performs against the criteria of the FTT Standard, adapting where you identify opportunities to improve
3. receive feedback and guidance from FTT about your performance, adapt where you wish, and update your report accordingly; when you are ready, submit the report to initiate the independent audit process
4. an audit contract and invoice will be provided for signature and pre-payment
5. an independent auditor will be assigned and audit dates, logistics (where applicable), and tentative audit schedule will be agreed with the certification candidate
   • first time certification audits typically take 2 days, including at least 1 full day on site (larger businesses will be longer); the certification candidate is responsible for auditor travel costs, accommodation and meals for the duration of the audit
   • certification renewals are eligible for remote site verification; the duration is similar but auditor travel, etc. costs will not be applicable
6. the assigned auditor reviews the certification candidate's online report, corroborates the report with evidence gathered during the site audit (including staff interviews and observations), and completes an audit report of their findings, conclusion, and recommendation regarding FTT Certification

To pass an audit, the certification candidate must meet all of FTT's "Mandatory" criteria, as well as 75% of the "General" criteria. If the audit is passed, a business will be provided with a certificate, the FTT-Certified logo that they are authorised to use, and the FTT Logo Use Guidelines to communicate its Fair Trade Tourism-Certified status.

Independent FTT Certification audits of business performance against the FTT Standard are conducted every three (3) years.

Audit Fee: indicative costs for a Fair Trade Tourism Certification audit are from R7,500 (plus VAT, where applicable), payable every three (3) years. NB These costs are external to FTT; they are paid across to independent auditors for their verification services.

Audit Fees will, however, vary depending on the size of the business. Please contact FTT with your location, total number of full-time employees, and description of your business operations and premises for a more accurate cost estimate.

 View the summary of the FTT Standard here

 Annual Membership Fees

 Who is currently certified by Fair Trade Tourism

Register now to embark on the journey of becoming Fair Trade Tourism-Certified.

Tour operators and travel agents are welcome to join Fair Trade Tourism as well! They play a major role in influencing responsible travel decisions through the holiday packages they design and offer to travellers, which means their choices determine whether the FTT-certified tourism businesses making a difference on the ground reap the benefit of bums-in-beds/seats, so to speak.

To ensure that we engage these valuable partners effectively, we have partnered with globally recognised Travelife for tour operators and travel agents - a partnership that provides access to a pool of ±1,000 buyers, and makes Fair Trade Tourism Holidays available alongside an additional, well-recognised and respected international brand.

Tour operators and travel agents that demonstrate their commitment to Fair Trade Tourism and sustainability principles through an online review process are entitled to use the "FTT-Approved" and "Travelife Partner" logos in their marketing collateral and corporate messaging. Those that would like to advance to the next level and be awarded Travelife Certified status, are required to comply with additional performance criteria, which are subject to verification through an independent site audit.

All FTT-Approved tour operators and travel agents are allowed to use the "FTT Holiday" logo to market travel itineraries that include at least 50% Fair Trade Tourism-certified businesses. They are also afforded access to the benefits of Fair Trade Tourism membership.

 Annual Fees for Tour Operators & Travel Agencies

 Become a FTT-Approved & Travelife Partner tour operator

For more information about how this works, or if you've already decided that you would like to embark on the journey... please contact us!