FTTSA approves Dreamcatcher’s Alternative Winelands Tour in the Western Cape
17. Sep, 2009
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Dreamcatcher is a unique organisation that focuses exclusively on community-based tourism in South Africa. It was established 25 years ago with the intention to empower local people and in particular women, through tourism.
The Alternative Winelands Tour, facilitated by Dreamcatcher, offers a heart-warming and educational alternative to the mainstream Cape Winelands experience. The tour features insights into the lives of labourers who worked the land during establishment of the Western Cape’s wine estates enabling visitors to learn about the challenges of hostel and farm life and how the community has developed to present day. The tour visits wine estates that have demonstrated a commitment to employees (such as providing access to land and technical assistance to start their own wine label) and features a unique opportunity to prepare (and sample!) traditional food during a “cook-up with the Kamammas” – women from the local area.
FTTSA certification is an independent endorsement of fair and responsible tourism practice in South Africa. It is based on adherence to specific criteria including fair wages and working conditions, fair distribution of benefits, ethical business practice, and respect for human rights, culture and the environment. Certification is offered on a voluntary basis to providers of tourist accommodation, activities and attractions.
FTTSA-certified activities actively seek to optimise the socio-economic returns accruing to communities in which they operate. Dreamcatcher’s Alternative Winelands Tour achieves this as the experiences are 100% owned and managed by local entrepreneurs. Dreamcatcher has an intensive training programme for its suppliers, part of which looks at how to calculate market-related and fair prices for their products. They also ensure that community-based suppliers receive 100% of the price they quote. As a rule, Dreamcatcher encourages other tourism service providers to support local small businesses in their communities.
FTTSA-certified activities also mitigate potential negative impacts. Visitors on the Alternative Winelands Tour are encouraged to leave the community environment as they would like to find it; this is actively communicated through Dreamcatcher’s literature and a pre-tour briefing offered by local tourist guides. Local entrepreneurs are encouraged to reduce their own environmental impacts as well as to educate their wider communities on environmental awareness and waste management. Installation of the first solar geysers at the Kamamma Homestays and Cook-up venues has commenced and will continue until all entrepreneurs have replaced electrical geysers with solar hot water systems. Turning waste into resources through water-saving, recycling and replacing alien plants with indigenous vegetation is on Dreamcatcher’s training agenda for 2010.
When asked about the process of FTTSA certification, Margie Carolus, Administrator of Dreamcatcher says, “We were so pleased with the process. Not only did we find the assessor of FTTSA to be very professional, she clearly understood the difference between staged community-based experiences and what we are doing. We found the assessment a very good test for what we set ourselves out to be and an inspiration to live up to. For us to ‘walk the talk’, is part of our core mission at Dreamcatcher”.
According to Jennifer Seif, Executive Director of FTTSA, “The Alternative Winelands Tour is an excellent example of professionally organised community-based tourism. The tour provides a window on the lives of ordinary South Africans through food, story-telling, wine, music and truly South African hospitality at its best. The tour communicates the diversity and majesty of the Cape Winelands through sight-seeing, wine-tasting and personal interaction with farm workers and community members who open their homes to guests. The involvement of the Dreamcatcher Foundation ensures that tourism revenue is ploughed back into community and enterprise development programmes, so the tour is not only enjoyable and educational but also sustainable.”
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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