Responsible tourism: Certify your business

A set of standards for Responsible Tourism in Tanzania

Responsible Tourism Tanzania (RTTZ) has developed a set of standards for Responsible Tourism in Tanzania. With future plans of having RTTZ formally recognized and accredited by Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the standards have been written in line with those of the GSTC, giving any RTTZ certified Tanzanian company the same international repute.

Click to read more about the benefits of certification

4 levels for continuous improvement

The certification system using the standards has four levels which have been designed to encourage continuous improvement. Once you have been certified at the entry level you can move up to the next level and finally end up with all the RTTZ certification logos. Each level will guide the organization toward becoming not only a matured enterprise in terms of responsibility but a role model for others.

The SEED, SAPLING and TREE requirements are available on the website and show what is needed for the document review and what will be checked by an RTTZ auditor. Click here to view the criteria.
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.

How to get certified

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.

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.

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.

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.