Sustainable Tourism

 
Introduction

With more than 800 million people traveling each year, tourism is a growing source of revenue for people living in areas that are especially rich in plants and animals -- and threatened with destruction. While tourism can lead to problems such as waste, habitat destruction and the displacement of local people and wildlife, it also has the potential to provide incentives for conservation.

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For Travelers
Whether heading to the heart of the Amazon rainforest or to the cobbled streets of Paris, discover all of the ways in which you can make a difference on your next vacation.

For Tourism Professionals
Find out how you can adopt eco-friendly practices and promote them to your clients.

For Certification Programs
Learn about upcoming events, subscribe to our newsletter, or find information about the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas.

Around the world, in forests, on farms and along seashores.. .in kitchens and stores, classrooms, pressrooms and boardrooms... the Rainforest Alliance is at work, creating a global standard that helps protect biodiversity and offers economic opportunities to populations in need.

The Rainforest Alliance is helping people to change their land-use practices, setting standards for the long-term sustainable use of resources so that we can conserve the planet’s great wealth of biodiversity and help people use the resources they need without compromising them for future generations.

The Rainforest Alliance is uniting stakeholders worldwide to share information on how the tourism industry is promoting sustainable resource management. As secretariat of the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, they are helping tourism certification programs, tour operators, government agencies, civic organizations and travelers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean develop common standards for sustainable tourism. We are also leading efforts in preparing for the launch of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council, a proposed global accreditation body for sustainable tourism certification programs to increase world­wide recognition and provide credibility for these eco-labels.
The conservation efforts of the Rainforest Alliance will have little permanent benefit unless the public understands and supports our goals, which is why communication and educa­tion have always been an important part of what they do. Worldwide, they work closely with industry leaders, journalists, conservation colleagues and government officials, and we reach tens of thousands of concerned consumers, children, parents and teachers through our publications, special events and Web site (www.rainforest-alliance.org). Their online reference library, the Eco-Index (www.eco-index.org), helps conserva­tionists and scientists share information and insights. The Rainforest Alliance’s education program provides an online curriculum and multilingual resources to teach students about the world’s diverse and threatened ecosystems.