SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, May 12,
2010 – Costa Rica, in a joint effort with France, the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) and other U.N. agencies have announced today the creation of the
U.N. Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism. This organization has been
formed to help governments and businesses make all tourism, everywhere, become
more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.
The new partnership, which will
be led by Costa Rica and France, is designed to identify and disseminate
successful initiatives from anywhere in the world and make them available elsewhere.
It will also apply policy recommendations and lessons learned in integrating
sustainability in tourism and develop new tools and projects where no existing
solution has been found. Given its expansive network of government entities,
industry associations, environmental and social organizations and U.N agencies,
it is expected to have worldwide outreach. Additionally, the support and
participation of financial institutions will enable the replication of good
practices throughout.
Since 2008, Costa Rica, led by
its Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, has chaired the Executive
Council for the UNWTO and has formed part of its World Committee on Tourism
Ethics, as well as its Sustainable Development Committee.
“The Partnership will be an
up-to-date, dynamic forum where countries that are interested in tourism that
is truly sustainable will be able to learn from the successful efforts of the
other members and obtain technical assistance, and which will promote constant
dialogue, the exchange of experiences, and seeking solutions to the problems
that are common to the tourism sector,” says Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Costa
Rica´s Minister of Tourism.
According to UNEP spokesman, Arab
Hoballah, “The Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism aims to transform the
way tourism is done worldwide by seeking out and replicating successful
ideas and projects from around the world to help tourism conserve nature and
culture, produce wealth for local communities, countries, employees, and
owners, while reducing its negative impacts. Poorly managed tourism can destroy
the very natural and cultural attractions that tourists come to see, and lead
to water shortages, impoverishment of local communities, social ills, and,
eventually, to the decline of the destination and business failure.”
While Costa Rica has long been
known for the biodiversity of its land, its position as a leader in sustainable
tourism began with the creation of its Certification for Sustainable Tourism
(CST) program in 1995, which today is regarded by the UNWTO as the model for
sustainable tourism in Latin America. The CST gives properties and operators an
outline for developing their tourism business in a sustainable fashion which
benefits not only the environment, but also the communities which surround it.
Today there are 154 properties and operators which are certified, with many
more waiting to receive their accreditation.
Through programs like the CST and
the country’s Blue Ecological Flag program, which brings citizens together to
maintain the water quality of its beaches and its communities, the Costa Rica
tourism industry has set the standard by proving that sustainable tourism is
not only beneficial to the environment and to the people, but that it is a
financially viable business model and debunking the myth that sustainability
must be synonymous with poverty or lack of comforts when traveling.
Costa Rica’s leadership and
innovation in this arena has grown even stronger in the past few years. In 2007
the country announced its Peace With Nature campaign, which calls for
all countries in the world to enhance actions and political commitments to
revert, through a joint effort, the environmental degradation tendencies caused
by human actions in the planet´s ecosystems. The campaign includes a variety of
programs to address environmental issues such as territory planning and
management; a coastal marine program; a program to help curve climate change
and education and communication about the importance of sustainability and sustainability
efforts.
Additionally, the same year the
country launched its national reforestation program which challenged companies
and individuals to plant one million trees that would help reforest the
country. Its citizens surpassed the goal overwhelmingly with three million
trees and in 2008, when it strived to match the accomplishments of the previous
year, Costa Rica became the country with the highest reforestation in the world
planting over seven million trees.
All of these and other efforts
from the public and private sector alike have helped to garner Costa Rica an
unprecedented amount of recognition for its commitment including Cleanest
Country in the Americas in 2009 and 2010 as determined by the Environmental
Performance Index developed by the prestigious Yale and Columbia Universities.
The study also ranked it third and fourth in the entire world, respectively.
Additionally, the National Resources Defense Council named Costa Rica as a
Biogem, the first whole country to receive the honor.
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica is located in Central
America, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, and bordered on the east by the
Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. This small country represents
only .05 percent of the planet’s surface and it shelters almost five percent of
the existing world’s biodiversity. It has given priority to the
conservation of its natural resources, protecting 26 percent of its national
territory through the creation of National Parks and other natural areas. The
country also offers world-class eco-tourism and adventure travel. The options
are unlimited for any discriminating traveler: horseback riding on a secluded
beach; hiking through the lush whispering greenery of a rainforest; having an
exhilarating experience on a white-water rafting trip, observing the tropical
forests from a canopy tour; surfing the blue waves of either coast;
experiencing a quite, close encounter with different species of birds and
wildlife; and enjoying the diverse culture and hospitality of the Ticos.
About the Costa Rica Tourist
Board
The
Costa Rica Tourist Board, created in 1955, is an autonomous institution of the
State, responsible for regulating the tourism activity in Costa Rica and
promoting Costa Rica’s tourism attractions and destinations both at a national
and international level. The Costa Rica Tourist Board creates tourism norms,
regulations, incentives and grants the tourist declaratory for Costa Rica’s
hotels, travel agencies, rental cars and other tourism organization and service
provider. For general travel or tourism information about Costa Rica, contact
the Costa Rica Tourist Board directly at 1-866-267-8274 or visit their web site
at www.visitcostarica.com