Another challenge set by Slovenian tourism businesses is the following:
How to encourage Slovenian tourist agencies to organize responsible tourism travels to Burkina Faso while also including workshops into its programs and how to encourage them to adopt and implement main responsible tourism principles into their business strategies?
The challenge is set by Humanitas, Society for Human Rights and Supportive Action, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working for deprived communities in Slovenia and around the world. Through global education, intercultural communication and development cooperation Humanitas raises awareness on human rights and respect for cultural diversity.
Within the project Sustainable Development through Responsible Tourism and Fair Trade in Burkina Faso Humanitas and Burkinabe association Kafuli recently launched a project in the field of responsible tourism. This term is used to describe tourism that does not harm neither natural nor social environment of the local communities visited and aims to contribute to its economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability. It also thrives to connect tourists with local cultures and raise awareness on the problems local communities face.
Within the project Humanitas and Kafuli developed 7 workshops for tourists coming to Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. These workshops include: traditional weaving workshops, workshop of bronze making crafts, cotton workshop where participants visit organic cotton farms and get acquainted with the cotton situation in Burkina Faso, mango workshop with a visit to a mango farm and drying mango factory, local beer production workshop, culinary workshop and workshop of Burkinabe particularities.
Humanitas does not organize travels to Burkina Faso but aims to include workshops into already existing tourist programmes of Slovenian and foreign travel agencies. Moreover, it aims to raise awareness among Slovenian tourists and travellers on the importance of responsible tourism and to encourage Slovenian tourist agencies to include main responsible tourism principles (collaboration with local organizations and communities, financial transparency of collaborations, fair payment of local guides and partners, financial investments in social and development community projects, use of environmentally friendly transport etc.) into business strategies.
More on Humanitas
www.humanitas.si
The best solution will be rewarded by 3-day free accommodation in Kafuli in Burkina Faso and by participation at 3 workshops of its own choice. The winner will get the chance to present the winning solution at the
GoldenDrum marketing festival.
Deadline for all challenge solutions is 22nd September 2010. Solutions are to be submitted at http://btps-izzivi.turistica.si/.