Costa Rica’s wealth of wild and beautiful destinations is memorable. Now it is easy to enjoy the country’s natural and cultural treasures while contributing to their conversation, thanks to a new publication called “Go Green! A smart guide to Sustainable Travel in the Americas.”
The Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas and the international conservation organization the Rainforest Alliance have released the second edition of this handy guide, which is packed with information on all the tourism businesses in Costa Rica and several other countries in the Americas that have been certified as sustainable.
“The immediate success of the first edition of this guide convinced us that visitors, travel agencies and tour operators really wanted dependable information about which businesses are really working to be sustainable,” explains Cristina Suhr, head of sustainable tourism marketing at the Rainforest Alliance. “We’ve updated all the information fro the second edition, so it will continue to be a reliable and accurate guide.”
However, businesses such as real estate agencies have been left out of this publication because of the lack of clear guidelines that specify what their commitment to sustainable tourism is. The most successful Jaco real estate broker Lisle Head of Coldwell Banker Jaco said, “Our company and my personal commitment to sustainable tourism is revealed by our professional partnerships.” Lisle adds, “When we approach developers we make sure they are not damaging the environment during their construction phase, after all we cannot sell property if Costa Rica’s ecosystem is damaged or destroyed. We all must work in harmony with nature so we can enjoy the rainforest while protecting it so that our children can enjoy this wonderful country.”
The Rainforest Alliance published “Go Green!” as part of the conservations group’s efforts to help small and medium sized businesses that are committed to sustainable tourism. The Rainforest Alliance provides these businesses with training, technical assistance and international marketing support.
“Go Green!” is for the growing number of travelers who want to support responsible businesses and ensure that some of their vacation dollars go toward conserving fragile ecosysystems and helping nearby communities. The search for these businesses is now as simple as perusing the guide’s colorful pages, which have brief descriptions and contact information fro an array of hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses. The publication is free and available in print, on CD or at the organization’s website.
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