1. Sustainable Tourism Task Force Ronald Sanabria Director, Sustainable Tourism Program Arenal, Costa Rica June 12th, 2008

2. The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Rainforest Alliance Mission

3. 1) Help the tourism industry protect the environment and provide sustainable livelihoods. 2) Build travelers demand for sustainable tourism and enable them to travel responsibly. 3) Facilitate the development of regional and global sustainable tourism standards, and increase credibility and market support for sustainable tourism certification. Sustainable Tourism Objectives

4. National Regional International Rainforest Alliance Train Enterprises (Private and Community- Based) Assist Voluntary Sustainability Programs Market Sustainable Tourism

5. Where We Work  Belize  Costa Rica  Ecuador  El Salvador  Guatemala  Mexico  Nicaragua  Peru

6. 263 enterprises 80 enterprises 206 enterprises 237 enterprises + Marketing Certified or in process Received Technical Assistance Received Diagnostic Services Participated in Best Practices Workshops Attended BMP Seminars 4000 individuals 1,578 entrepreneurs Training and Technical Assistance

7.  756 trained people on BMP in five countries.  90 tourism businesses benefited from financial support for the implementation of BMP.  42 new tourism operations certified and 21 in process.  46 specialized BMP trainers/assessors  18 technical assistance providers highly specialized in BMP

8. An Example From Costa Rica Sarapiquí, Heredia, Costa Rica 1st Diagnostic 2nd Diagnostic Name of HotelEnvironmentSocioculturalEconomic EnvironmentSocioculturalEconomic Hotel S170%63% 85%96%97% Hotel S130%35%63% 80%96%89% Hotel S347%57%69% 62%94%80% Hotel S423%32%40% 57%69%63% Hotel S530%45%61% 86%81%85%

9. Tools

10. Greening the Supply Chain Outbound Tour Operators Inbound Tour Operators Suppliers Certification Program

11.  52 alliances with inbound tour operators  16 alliances with outbound tour operators  Reaching over 420,000 travelers/year Partnerships with Tour Operators and Industry

12. International Partners and Affiliations

13. Official Web Sites and Tourism Planners

14. Tour Operator Brochures

15. Tour Operator Web Sites

16. Airline Web Sites

17. Hotel Web Sites

18. Marketing Tools 206 companies from the US, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia.

19. Sustainable Itineraries CD

20. Case Studies

21. FAM trips

22. Central America Travel MartCosta Rica World Travel MarketLondon Feria de Turismo Rural ComunitarioCosta Rica Adventures in Travel ExpoNew York VakatirboursHolland Los Angeles Times Travel ShowLos Angeles Educational Travel ConferenceBaltimore Top ResaFrance ExpoturCosta Rica Travel Mart Latin AmericaEcuador Trade Shows

23. Media Outreach

24. www.rainforest-alliance.org

25. Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism www.eco-index.org/tourism  Over 10,000 visits monthly  More than 175 businesses from 16 countries

26. Lessons Learned  Best management practices can be a vehicle for raising awareness and informing businesses about certification  It is necessary to have support from ministries, institutes and chambers of tourism.  Entreprenuers demonstrate enthusiasm but require constant follow up.  It is necessary to categorize businesses according to their particular needs.

27.  The involvement of tour operators maximizes the potential of impacting existing channels without having to create new and unproven market structures  Sustainability is finally de rigueur; we must take advantage of the momentum and act now Lessons Learned  We cannot promise that visitation will grow overnight, but we can prove that market trends indicate a growing preference for responsible tourism  Quality, service, security and price continue to be determining factors for a business’ success

28. Questions & Answers Sustainable Tourism Rainforest Alliance, Costa Rica www.rainforest-alliance.org sustainabletourism@ra.org Tel/Fax: +506 234-8916