Working Together for Sustainable Travel

Costa Rica Undiscovered and the Rainforest Alliance have established a partnership to promote tourism operations that are part of the Rainforest Alliance’s Best Management Practices in Sustainable Tourism Program.

The Rainforest Alliance provides tourism entrepreneurs and community-based businesses in Latin America with the tools and training they need to become more environmentally and socially sound, and to gain access to and be more competitive in the marketplace, while contributing to the conservation of the local culture and nature.

What Costa Rica Undiscovered’s commitment to the Rainforest Alliance means?

The Rainforest Alliance is a leading international conservation organization whose goals include promoting ecologically and socially responsible best practices for tourism businesses in Latin America. We promote tourism certification programs by publicizing the various programs’ requirements and the benefits of certification. The Rainforest Alliance also gathers and distributes information about current tourism market conditions and trends, provides marketing support to participating tourism businesses and creates commercial alliances that benefit owners of sustainable tourism businesses.

Tour operators who sign these cooperative agreements agree to motivate their affiliated business enterprises to conserve biodiversity and reduce tourism’s negative impacts. The agreements offer staff with these affiliated lodges and enterprises the opportunity to receive training on effective business management and the requirements of sustainable tourism certification programs. Participants can then elect to receive technical assistance and marketing support if their businesses meet specific requirements.

A Partnership That Pays

The Rainforest Alliance’s relationship with tour operators begins when they sign a contract that spells out commitments by both parties. We then provide introductory seminars about best practices and tourism certification programs, including an introduction to our program.

Next, the Rainforest Alliance invites staff with their affiliated lodges and enterprises to attend workshops that allow us to delve deeper into the subject of sustainability, and study successful businesses that have implemented best practices or have earned eco-labels.

Then, the staff of businesses that meet specific requirements may elect to receive additional Rainforest Alliance support -- our experts will provide them with an in-depth analysis of their business, including technical assistance, marketing support and publicity designed to attract more visitors.

For their part, the tour operators agree to be responsible for organizing the seminar and training events, recruiting participants and motivating them to join our best practices program. Tour operators also agree to give priority to hotels and lodges that adopt best practices, in tour packages offered to international tourism wholesalers.

 Overview work of the Rainforest Alliance...

Text provided by the Rainforest Alliance