Interesting articles, interviews, and information about ecotourism to inform your sustainable travel decisions.
Now featuring:
Read about “How Sound Certification Programmes Can Help to Protect Biodiversity,” a recent presentation given by the Rainforest Alliance at the important High Level Conference on Business and Biodiversity in Lisbon last November.
Travel Q&A: The Call of the Rain Forest. The Washington Post recommends the Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism. June, 2008.
Archive:
The main goal of the Mesoamerican Trails Initiative is to design and build a regional trail network linking the protected areas of Central America and Mexico. View the project's profile on the Eco-Index.
Nominations for the 2008 Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest of its kind in the world, are now open.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently launched the Green Passport-- a campaign that aims to raise tourists' awareness of their potential to contribute to sustainable development by making responsible holiday choices.
In Mexico, the Red de Ecoturismo Comunitario de Michoacán has successfully established a community tourism network that offers diverse services and has created important jobs in rural areas. View the project profile on the Eco-Index. March, 2008.
Non-profit organization Conservation International works to clean up the cruise industry in Cozumel. Read article in the Eco-Exchange, a publication of the Rainforest Alliance. January, 2008
The San Juan / La Selva section of the Costa Rican bird route trail will soon open. View the project profile on the Eco-Index.
The Sustainable Tourism Certification of the Americas supports a global effort to bolster certification's credibility. Article in Certified Tourism Matters, January 2008.
Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Tourism Guide Shows Growth of Certified Businesses in Latin America. Press release, January 2008. The catalog "Go Green! A SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel in the Americas" has pages packed with information about all 206 businesses (hotels, restaurants, tour operators and more) from the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and the Caribbean that earned a sustainable certification seal as of October 15, 2007.
Eco-Tourism Index for Latin America. Article by Elisa Barclay for Travel & Nature and published in TreeHugger about the Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism. December, 2007.
The Costa Rican Rural Tourism Association (ACTUAR, for its initials in Spanish), explains how careful planning, appropriate training and creative marketing are essencial for successfully promoting rural community tourism. Read about the project in the Eco-Index. November, 2007
AdventureUs.com is an online network for adventure travelers to share “adventure journals” about trips they’ve taken, including maps, photos, and video. Travelers can plan their next trip by searching for travel providers by company type (tour operator, travel agent, etc.), geographic destination (global), and activity (biking, scuba, heritage sites, etc.). Both travelers and travel providers can create their own online profiles and post information about their trips and/or companies at no cost.
The Associación Alianza Verde is negotiating an agreement with Tikal National Park authorities in Guatemala. Read the article published in the Rainforest Alliance´s Sustainable Tourism Connections newsletter. September 2007.
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. Article published by the Rainforest Alliance´s Sustainable Tourism Connections newsletter. September 2007.
Rainforest Alliance shares the importance of monitoring and evaluation, best management practices and action plans for biodiversity conservation through sustaianble tourism in Belize and Ecuador. Visit the project profile on the Eco-Index.
