Responsible Tourism Tanzania (Rttz) have developed a set of standards for Responsible Tourism in Tanzania. These standards are also in alignment with the international standards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), giving any Rttz certified Tanzanian company the same international repute.
The certification system using the standards has 4 levels or steps. Each step will guide the organization toward becoming not only a matured enterprise, but a role-model for others. The criteria that the organization has to comply with for each of these steps or levels is available, these are the criteria that the audit will use to establish the level of compliance in order to award the organization with any certification. Click here to view the criteria>
Triple Bottom Line- “Doing well by doing good” or “Where a company examines the social, environmental, and economic effects of its performance on the wider society and begins to improve its performance and reports publicly on progress.”
The first and second level of certification will require the tourism company to conduct a self-assessment followed up by an independent external audit. The last two steps or levels will only require an independent third party to audit the establishment.
SEED
The first entry-level accreditation offered. The criteria within this level illustrate the company’s initial interest in adopting the triple bottom line approach. These initial criteria introduce the framework for responsible management and policy development, as well as prepare the member to plan and monitor their overall impact. This initial step plants the seed for a responsible business future.
SAPLING
The company has taken on the principles of a triple bottom line approach and has now started to incorporate these into their day-to-day actions and communication. The training of employees has now been implemented, and systems are being developed to record and report to directors and to the public the company’s policies and impacts.
TREE
Having operated for a period of time, the member can now prove that their working culture and daily operations are fully integrated into a sustainable and responsible management approach. Systems are in place to monitor and redirect the operations and all the employees understand the triple bottom line approach. This step forms the core of the company culture.
FRUIT
Now as a role-model in responsible tourism, the member can demonstrate appropriate actions, disseminate information, and ultimately change their surrounding environment, build a clientele, and urge suppliers and partners to adopt similarly responsible practices.
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Very worthwhile initiative!
Chumbe Island Coral Park will most probably jump all the stages and become a “Fruit”, as we are already certified by the Global Ecosystem Reserve / Long-run_destination certification scheme of the Jochen Zeitz Foundation, see http://www.zeitzfoundation.org and http://www.thelongrun.org
A small note: please include the Tanga Tourism Network Association (TATONA) among the list of existing tourism bodies in your application form, thanks!
Thanks for the comment, we are only launching the SEED and SAPLING levels to start with, will let you know when this all gets going. Will update our website shortly.
HOW TOURISM HELP THE COMMUNITY IN THE USAMBARA MOUNTAINS
Tanzania, farmed for the abundance and diversity of its wildlife and for some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth, has long been considered one of the worlds’s a most attractive …tourist destination. Our country is equally well known for its warm and welcoming people, and it is they who have made Tanzania a leader in the fastest-growing sector of the travel industry: cultural tourism. Tanzania has become a cultural- tourism showcase, drawing observers from many countries in central and southern Africa to see how we’ve developed our programs. The “secret” to our success can be stated simply: empower the people. Our programs are locally organized and locally run. The biggest and most successful of our cultural- tourism projects has been in the Usambara. For several years now, the grassroots organization Friends of Usambara society has been guiding the development of cultural tourism in the usambara, centered on Lushoto. The people of Lushoto District founded Friends of Usambara in 1997 with start-up technical help from the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), through the cultural Tourism program. The Friends of Usambara have developed tours and activities for visitors, assisted in training and supervision of guides, and worked at promoting the Usambara to potential visitors. As in Tanzania’s other cultural – tourism projects, the costs are kept to the minimum. The small fees remunerate the guides and a portion goes for village development in the Usambaras. So come see for yourself. The people of Tanzania welcome you, and it is my pleasure to join the Friends of Usambara Society in inviting you to get acquainted with the people of The Usambaras and their cultural.
Yassin Madiwa
Program Coordinator
Friends of Usambara Society
Cell +255 787 094725
Website: http://www.usambaratravels.com
Friends of Usambara is impowering our school kids to change the world into green under the launched program given name as School green campain by Friends of Usambara!! Come and join this effort of changing the world into green!! Karibu Usambara Mountains