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Sustainable Tourism Certification
More and more tourism businesses are voluntarily undergoing audits by certification programs that grant a seal of approval for demonstrated environmentally or socially sound practices. Not only do these labels serve as useful marketing tools, but they can motivate the industry to develop more environmentally-friendly products. They can also help consumers make more informed travel choices. The ultimate success of tourism certification as a conservation tool rests on whether or not it is based on a trusted, reliable standard, and on the degree to which the industry and consumers worldwide demonstrate their support. Tourism is a private sector activity, driven in large part by international hotel chains, tour companies and other businesses. Making tourism more sustainable requires careful planning at many levels and the participation of all potential stakeholders, particularly of local communities in and around destinations. While adopting more sustainable practices is inherently complex, many tourism operations have already taken steps toward becoming more environmentally and socially responsible.
A number of the world’s tourism companies, from hoteliers to tour operators, are in the throes of restructuring their management and operations to reduce consumption of water, energy and other resources, and to improve the management, handling and disposal of waste. After completing the training process, businesses may then seek tourism certification with one of the existing voluntary certification programs. The Rainforest Alliance works with these programs to help them achieve credibility and widespread recognition. In order for certification programs to be effective, they must adhere to consistent and rigorous standards. "If people don't know how to differentiate between the various certification programs that exist, and don't know which are real and which represent a cosmetic 'green wash,' certification looses its effectiveness," explains Ronald Sanabria, director of sustainable tourism for the Rainforest Alliance. In 2003, the Rainforest Alliance conducted a feasibility study with the idea of establishing a Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council to issue accreditation to certifying bodies according to a set of universal criteria. The study revealed that a favorable climate exists for the creation of such an agency and so the Rainforest Alliance, with support from the World Tourism Organization, the International Ecotourism Society and the United Nations Environment Program, helped develop the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas. The Rainforest Alliance is working with members of this network to develop standards for tourism certification throughout the region. In its position as secretariat for the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, the Rainforest Alliance is responsible for education and publicity -- spreading the word among tourism businesses, local communities, governments and travelers about the benefits of sustainable tourism, particularly in the world's most biologically rich countries.
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