A Three-Year Journey for Sustainable Tourism

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Tourism is widely recognized as one of the biggest industries in the world and offers great poten-tial to both developed and developing countries in terms of income generation, foreign exchange earnings, and employment creation. This industry is very dependent on the quality of local environments and societies as tourists are often looking for esthetical and cultural attractive places to visit. Unfortu¬nately, if tourism is not managed properly, it can damage the very resources that ensure its success and sustainability. This delicate balance engenders the need to develop policies for sustainable tourism that maximize benefits while minimizing its negative economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts.

This report summarizes the various projects, tools, and achievements of the ITF-STD over the past three years and outlines its steps to transform into a UN Partnership for Sustainable Tourism. This trans¬formation will provide the necessary foundation to continue the initiative’s progress. Full report in PDF format (7.63 MB); Pages: 42p

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Green Passport-Holiday for a Living Planet

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We go on holidays for pleasure, to discover new horizons, to relax, to meet people and to learn about different cultures. Most of the time, we are not aware that the choices we make for our holiday can have an impact on our destination and on the people that live there. We are often equally unaware of the implications of our travel for global environmental issues, especially climate change.

The aim of this Green Passport site is to introduce you, the potential traveler, to some of the things you can do to help make tourism a sustainable activity, by which we mean an activity that is not only respectful of the environment but that is also good for the economic and social development of the communities that will be your hosts.

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Rural Community-Based Tourism in Central America

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This case study evaluates the outcomes of rural community-based tourism in Nicaragua (five communities) and Guatemala (four communities), as an alternative to more mainstream tourist development. Despite strong community organizations (cooperatives) and some tourism natural assets (caves and culture) – and, in the case of Nicaragua, reasonable infrastructure and access to markets – the financial sustainability of initiatives has been badly affected by an inability to link with the main distribution channels (tour operators and hoteliers). The initial investment costs are high and barriers to entry are significant. Notwithstanding poor tourist flows, these have brought some economic and other benefits to the destination areas. Full paper in PDF format (444 kb); Number of pages: 4p

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A Practical Guide to Good Practice: Managing Environmental Impacts in the Marine Recreation Sector

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Major contractors of marine recreation services, including tour operators, hotels and cruise lines, are increasingly showing a preference for providers that adopt environmental good practices. Thus, for marine recreation providers – from dive operations to boat rentals to wildlife viewing tours – improving environmental performance can not only contribute to marine conservation and the economic development of coastal communities, it can also improve business, by increasing their attractiveness to companies seeking responsible suppliers.

This guide, which is based on an intensive consultation process with industry, local and national authorities, and conservation organizations, is designed for marine recreation providers seeking to understand and adopt environmental good practices. It can also be used as a tool by hoteliers, tour operators and cruise lines in selecting and managing suppliers based on sustainability criteria. Full paper in PDF format; Pages: 24p

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