[My blog on TTG website, ttgdigital.com]

One of the most interesting events of WTM for me was the launch by Kuoni of the UK’s first Fair Trade-certified holiday.

Kuoni teamed up with Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA), which has been working to promote the importance of fair trade in tourism for a decade, in order to gain certification of all aspects of the supply chain on a 13-night South Africa package.

While the concept of fairly-traded cocoa or bananas is easy enough to comprehend, fairly-traded tourism is more complicated – which is perhaps why it’s taken until now for it to develop.

I asked FTTSA’s executive director Jennifer Seif what the Fair Trade stamp on Kuoni’s package holiday actually represents. She explained that all accommodation providers on the itinerary have been vetted to ensure their staff are paid a fair wage and have good working conditions, and that their suppliers are paid fairly.

Kuoni’s commitment to the accommodation and local ground-handlers it uses include paying 100% of its bills before a client travels, and paying cancellation fees if forced to cancel a booking. “There’s an unwritten rule that hotels don’t ask for the money, but it can be very hard on small businesses,” said Seif.

While a fair, minimum price can be put on commodities like bananas, Seif said this doesn’t work in tourism, as prices fluctuate so much. ”What we do instead is say you cannot push for a discount, and we demand a transparency so people know who is paying what,” she said.

The £2,995 price tag on Kuoni’s package also includes a $50-$60 ‘premium’ which goes into a separate fund, to be spent on socio-economic projects that benefit those involved in the supply chain. Seif hopes to soon have 20-30 operators like Kuoni bringing 5,000 clients to South Africa on this kind of Fair Trade package each year. “That’s three million rand, or about £250,000, of new money for development,” she says.

She acknowledged clients might not yet look for Fair Trade when booking their holiday. “But when they get there and hear about the Fair Trade ethos and feel good about staying there, that is when they tell their friends and the hotel benefits from word-of-mouth marketing and repeat business,” she explained.

Harriet Lamb, the UK’s executive director of The Fair Trade Foundation, said at the Kuoni/South Africa launch that consumers WILL pay more for fairly-traded holidays. “Of course people want a bargain but if you tell them these bananas -or this package holiday – is cheap because the people behind it aren’t getting a fair deal, people will pay more,” she said.

There’s a lot of cash-strapped UK consumers who right now are understandably reluctant to pay a penny more for a holiday than they absolutely have to.

But when she opened World Responsible Tourism Day on Wednesday, Harriet Lamb reminded us of how the Archbishop of York described our responsibility to support Fair Trade: “Fair trade is not charity. It’s justice”, he said.

And for the future of destinations like South Africa, where being paid fairly can be the means of a climbing out of poverty, I hope the vision of a global Fair Trade mark for tourism becomes a reality soon.

It’s a hotel I first learnt about at World Travel Market last year, when it won the ‘best accommodation for the environment‘ category at the Responsible Tourism Awards.

As well as using 65% solar power and buying produce direct from local fishermen and farmers, one of the innovations that really stands out for me in this video is a local paper-making project, where the hotel gives shredded waste paper to local craftswomen to be turned into guest stationery – which the hotel then buys back. A perfect example of a project that is both environmentally conscious and socially beneficial! Watch the full story of how this hotel is breaking the mould in the Caribbean here.

Primrose Valley is just one of the hotel’s featured on the St Ives tourist board’s new iPhone app. It features nine places to stay, lots of bars and restaurants, things to do and sites of interest, and lots of useful contact details for trains, taxis, boat hire and more – all pinpointed on the an interactive map.

Though the information is not exhaustive – there are lots more restaurants to choose from in St Ives – it is a very handy guide. The app costs £1.19

Read the full piece here

[this blog first appeared on greentraveller ]

Visitors to Cumbria this summer can take part in cycling activities free of charge, thanks to a new Passport 2 Pedalling scheme.

Cumbria Tourism has teamed up with CycleActive, a company in Penrith, to offer training courses and guided bike rides across the Lake District from July to October.

‘Beach biking‘ sessions are taking place on the sand at Allonby, Barrow and St Bees in August with races and challenges: bikes, helmets, limbo bars and see-saws are provided.

Guided cycling rides are taking place on selected dates in July and August, with routes ranging from 9 to 20 miles, and locations including Ullswater, Ennerdale, Coniston and Windermere. Cyclists can take their own bike or hire one free of charge.

Families can learn mountain biking skills and BMX tricks in free 30-minute sessions at events such as Barrow Sports Day and the Cumberland Show, with all bikes provided. A Kids Mountain Biking Academy is also taking place in Whinlatter Forest Park.

All cyclists taking part in Passport 2 Pedalling will receive a goodie bag with cycling routes for families and beginners.

Cumbria Tourism’s Julie Darroch says getting more visitors to use alternative transport to cars is a key priority. “Not only are activities like cycling and walking much better for the environment and for people’s health and wellbeing, they are also one of the best ways to fully appreciate the scenic attractions that we have here, and to reach places and viewpoints that the car simply can not.,” she explains.

At the moment, 84% of Cumbria’s 15.3 million annual visitors arrive by and get around by car but the tourist board is trying to encourage more sustainable transport.

“There are a number of accommodation providers in the area that offer discounts to guests that arrive by public transport or that ‘hang up their car keys’ for the duration of their stay,” says Julie. “And many more have bikes on site that guests can hire, or can arrange for bikes to be delivered to the accommodation in time for their arrival.”

Another initiative in place in the Lake District National Park is the Give The Driver a Break scheme that encourages use of the bus.

Cumbria Tourism is looking to further develop its cycling routes, particularly for families and mountain bikers. Passport 2 Pedalling is part of Cumbria’s bid to become known as the UK’s best adventure holiday destination.

See the GoLakes website for the dates and locations of the activities, and to pre-book.