Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) certifies five new tourism businesses on Madagascar!

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), a South African NGO that encourages and monitors fair and responsible practises in tourism establishments and activities, recently added five businesses on Madagascar to the family of FTT-certified businesses.

The five newly certified tourism businesses in Madagascar are:

• Salary Bay, located on Madagascar's south-west coastline
• Hotel Le Paradisier, a luxury eco-lodge located close to Salary Bay
• Mantasoa Lodge, a boutique hotel on the beautiful Lake Mantasoa, not far from the capital city of Antananarivo
• Bush House Lodge, a small eco-lodge located in the Toamasina region of Madagascar's east coast, within the Canal des Pangalanes Lake District
• Tsara Camp, located in the Tsaranoro Valley

These tourism businesses all adhere to the FTT standard and use the FTT label as a way of signifying their commitment to fair and responsible tourism. This includes fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing and operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Specific initiatives range from contributing to the education of children in the local communities and offering health clinics on their premises to working with local fishermen and fish farmers, in order to support them in making their businesses more profitable and more resilient. Recognizing the importance of preserving the local farming sector and increasing the value generated from agriculture, FTT-certified businesses provide local farmers with the necessary tools as well as sharing technical and commercial knowledge with them. The businesses are also dedicated to water and energy savings and make use of local handicrafts to decorate their rooms.