Action packed weekend in Soweto

Chantal Stansfield

Chantal Stansfield was the lucky winner of an action packed weekend in Soweto in collaboration with FTTSA, Getaway Magazine, SoWeToo, FTTSA-certified The Soweto Hotel & Confreence Centre and FTTSA-certified Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers. The weekend had a Fair Trade Tourism Focus and Chantal will be blogging about her trip on Getaway Blog.

Follow the blog to see what she was up to in Soweto. The first night she spent at The Soweto Hotel & Conference Centre located on Walter Sisulu Square.

Here is a sneak peak…Many more posts to come!..

The Soweto Hotel & Conference Centre

I won a fantastic weekend in Soweto through the Getaway, Fair Trade Tourism South Africa and SoWeToo. The weekend was to include various activities not usually associated with common tourist activities or air-conditioned tour buses.

I was picked up from Park Station Gautrain by Zandi (the owner) and Sipho (my driver for the weekend) from Aahaa Tours. They are a tour company which is part of ‘So We Too’ – an entity formed by seven Soweto-based tourism businesses owned by young entrepreneurs determined to give people a real, tactile experience of Soweto.

My first stop was the Soweto Hotel – a rather inconspicuous building in the bustle of Kliptown, adjacent to the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication. The hotel exterior is not elaborate or ostentatious at all but feels modest given its humble surroundings. I’ve been in the exact same square before but mistook the side of the hotel for an office building of sorts.

To read the whole blog go here.

About Fair Trade Tourism

Fair Trade tourism ensures good wages and working conditions for staff, a fair share of the tourism bucks to local communities and respect for human rights, culture and the environment. In other words: tourism that is good for people and the environment. How it works: Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) certifies tourism businesses (like hotels, activities and attractions) against a set of standards linked to global Fair Trade criteria. Those that qualify get to carry the FTTSA logo. So every time you stay at a hotel, or go on a tour, that carries the FTTSA logo you will not only have a great experience – you will also be doing a good thing for South Africa and South Africans at the same time. That’s what we call a win-win situation! What kind of places are Fair Trade? Any kind of tourism business can become FTTSA-certified: from backpackers to 5-star lodges; township tours and whale watching cruises to adrenalin-filled activities and botanical gardens. In addition to being fab holiday places and activities, they all do a whole lot of amazing things for people and the environment. You can read all about this on our website (www.fairtourismsa.org.za). Doing something good has never felt this great!

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