Tourism Sector goes hand in hand with Sustainability

Photo courtesy of ICT

• CST develops and demands tourism businesses better environmental and social practices.

• ICT granted CST to 101 tourism enterprises. 

Moving from words to deeds one hundred one tourism businesses have shown that they can be profitable in a business such as tourism by caring about nature.

It is possible by taking concrete actions to reduce the impact of human and business activities necessarily produce. On December 7, the Costa Rican Board of Tourism (ICT), in an official ceremony at INBio Park in Heredia, recognized those companies whose efforts and investing resources managed to take measures for the environment. 

About 80 hotels, 17 tour operators, and 4 car rentals won the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST). With such recognition, the ICT certifies that the activity is sustainable because it complies with a series of measurement indicators such as proper waste management, rational use of resources such as water and electricity, use of biodegradable cleaning products, environmental protection measures in places of influence, respect for local culture, and the contribution to the communities. 

Allan Flores, Minister of Tourism and President of the National Accreditation Commission, believes that the commitment of companies with CST strengthens the actions made by the country to ensure the sustainability of tourism management and thereby protects the resource tourists prize the most: nature.

 "Costa Rica is committed to implementing sustainability as a model for development, raising the need to solve society's current needs without compromising the right of future generations to meet theirs.

Therefore, today we applaud the efforts of hotel companies, tour operators, and car rental agencies that are committed to sustainability and consider it as the engine of their work," noted Flores. 

Out of the 101 companies that received the CST, 59 achieved the distinction for the first time. The other 42 managed to keep the certificate and obtained it again. The Department of Sustainable Tourism of ICT is responsible for the assessments conducted to the companies that aspire to the CST.

The National Accreditation Commission in charge of giving recognition is chaired by ICT and conformed by representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, the National Biodiversity Institute, the University of Costa Rica, the Central American Institute of Business Administration, the Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism, and the National Union for the Conservation of Nature. 

"Our primary objective is the entire tourism value chain to own the CST in the medium term; by doing so, the tourist experience in the country can be certified, and the consolidation of sustainability may continue being a cornerstone of the tourism industry," Minister Flores said. 

Two separate market studies done by the ICT realize that, thanks to greater environmental awareness, tourists from around the world have begun to be more selective about the destinations they visit. 

A growing trend of travelers, especially in the European market, opts for sites that are committed to sustainability.

This favors the country, which has invested significant resources in strengthening the internal work of environmental protection and commitment of making productive activities, such as tourism, sustainable. 

These efforts by Costa Rica, according to ICT studies, are demonstrating the advantage that the country has if compared to other destinations and, in turn, shows that companies that have been certified become a first choice for the visitor that is aware of the importance of being responsible to the environment and the community. 

Today, about 240 companies have been granted the CST (178 hotels, 58 tour operators and 4 car rental companies). This represents about 26% of the total tourist offer declared within these three sectors. 

Studies Reveal CST’s Positive Contribution to Tourism  

ICT has conducted tests to measure the impact on how the CST contributes to tourism companies, tour operators and hotels. The results obtained by ICT Department of Sustainable Tourism confirmed that there are numerous benefits for these companies once they are credited. One of the last assessments was performed to 65 hotels and 29 tour operators certified in different areas such as basic services, products, production, and business. 

 More than half of the companies managed to reduce water consumption and electricity, increased their consumption of environmentally friendly and local products, reforested with native species, and strove to have a better waste management system, as well as to use clean energy. All this allows for greater international recognition and customer satisfaction. 

"This research identifies whether or not they are meeting the goals set by the creation of CST, as well as whether companies seek ways to improve sustainable practices and will have a better awareness about the conservation of natural and human resources," said Flores. 

Awarded Companies 

Among the companies of Guanacaste that received the CST stands the Hotel Barcelo Playa Langosta, which won the top recognition at the fifth level. (See additional note: "Barcelo with fifth level of CST"). According to ICT, companies receive a grade, not stars, in "levels of sustainability.”

 These "levels of sustainability" are set on a scale of 0 to 5 and each of them indicates the relative position of the company in terms of sustainability. 

Level 1 means that the company has taken the first step in a process of sustainability.

The higher levels correspond to increasingly advanced stages. It culminates with the Level 5 status in which a firm is regarded as exemplary in terms of sustainability.

The classification depends on the percentage of positive actions that the company is developing in terms of sustainability. The Hotel Punta Islita also reached this level. 

At level 4 are: Kioro Arenal Hotel (La Fortuna de San Carlos), Hotel Giada in Samara, Westin Playa Conchal, Tabacon (La Fortuna, San Carlos), Jaco Beach Hotel, Hotel Punta Leona (Garabito, Puntarenas) Capitán Suizo (Tamarindo), among others.

 At level 3 are: Flamingo Beach Resort, Villa Caletas (Garabito, Puntarenas), Sugar Beach (Santa Cruz), Hotel Luna Llena, Mapache Rent-a -Car, Toyota Rent-a-Car, and Budget Rent-a-Car. 

Meanwhile, hotels such as Four Seasons, Marriott Los Sueños, Borinquen, and Tilajari (San Carlos) were granted the CST Level 2.  Table: Percentage of companies with CST that responded to have had a positive impact by having the CST (Answer YES or NO) For 58% of hotels and 50% of tour operators surveyed, there was a decrease in water consumption (in cubic meters) after the implementation of the CST, among other findings.