The door to an important market in Holland has been opened for small tourism businesses in Latin America -- and the key is an agreement between the Rainforest Alliance and Dutch tour operator Baobab Reizen.

According to the agreement, at least half the businesses Baobab Reizen will include in its package tours to Ecuador, Belize, Guatemala and Costa Rica must be working toward sustainability. The company will also survey tourists about their experiences when they return from their tours and will urge them to convince friends and families to take similar trips.

We at the Rainforest Alliance are putting Baobab Reizen in contact with local tour operators who have signed on to sustainability, and are providing the company with lists of tourism businesses that are certified or have adopted sustainable practices.

We will also periodically organize trips to the four countries for Baobab Reizen representatives in order to introduce them to new destinations and tourism businesses that could potentially be included in their tour packages.

"How do I get my business certified?" "How can I get funding?" "How can I take advantage of certification in my marketing efforts?" It's now easier to find answers to such questions thanks to the Center for Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD), which has designed four practical guides to help businesses begin the certification process and to strengthen the programs that award certification seals.

The guides -- the result of studies conducted by CESD and the International Ecotourism Society that were commissioned by the Rainforest Alliance -- are:

• Simple Guide to Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism Certification -- explains how certification works, and the steps to achieve it.
• Practical Steps for Financing the Certification of Tourism Businesses -- provides a general overview of the mechanisms and possible sources of funding.
• Practical Steps for Marketing Tourism Certification -- provides advice on promoting a sustainable tourism business.
• Financing Certification Programs -- includes strategies and models for raising funds and financial management to ensure economic stability.

Last March, the Rainforest Alliance presented a workshop for 45 guides, business owners and workers at Guatemala's Tikal National Park. The workshop was part of our commitment to sustainable tourism, conservation and community economic development in and around areas, such as Tikal, which are designated as World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

As a result of the workshop, Alianza Verde -- the non-profit organization that manages Guatemala's sustainable tourism certification program, Green Deal -- is negotiating a new agreement with Tikal park authorities. Under the agreement, park regulations will be modified to require businesses that want to provide services at Tikal to be certified -- which would guarantee that the businesses are sustainable and environmentally responsible.

This will enable the thousands of visitors who flock to Tikal's beautiful and mysterious Maya temples each day to do so without endangering those treasures -- while contributing to the well-being of Tikal's current inhabitants.

UNESCO's decision to put the Galapagos Islands on its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger -- due to invasive species, migration and uncontrolled tourism growth -- has raised concern in the international community. But the warning didn't surprise the Rainforest Alliance. We have long been aware of the risks faced by the famous Pacific archipelago.

That's why we joined forces with a number of international environmental and tourism groups to provide training for more than 150 business owners in the Galapagos who are interested in practicing sustainable tourism, conserving the islands' treasures while providing development opportunities for the local population.

The efforts of our associates have paid off: 13 of the archipelago's cruise ships and two of the hotels on Isla Santa Cruz have earned the Smart Voyager certification seal to date.

A group of 12 Nicaraguan tour operators recently joined the effort to promote sustainable tourism in their country by signing cooperative agreements with the Rainforest Alliance. The agreements will enable the small and medium-sized tourism businesses with whom they work to receive Rainforest Alliance training in sustainable tourism practices, with the goal of creating a knowledge base that can help the businesses obtain certification.

Businesses that comply with established prerequisites can also enroll in our Good Practices Program, which provides benefits such as technical assistance, promotion at international tourism fairs and media contacts.

The tour operators have agreed to organize educational events and encourage participants to participate in the Good Practices Program. The agreement also stipulates that the operators will give priority to businesses that have sustainable practices when they design the package tours that they offer foreign wholesalers.

The 12 tour operators are: Careli Tours, Gray Line Tours Nicaragua, SchuVar Tours, Solentiname Tours, Gutiérrez Tours, Va Pues Tours, Ecotours, NTUR, Nicarao Lake Tours, Servitours Travel & Tips, Tours Nicaragua and Detour Viajes y Cultura.

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The Rainforest Alliance’s work in sustainable tourism in Latin America is supported by: The Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Ford Foundation, the Overbrook Foundation, the Tinker Foundation, the Global Environment Facility/United Nations Environment Programme, Mitsubishi and others.

© 2007 Rainforest Alliance