On September 27, 2006 seven Costa Rica ‘based travel companies one is Swiss Travel Service – became the first tour operators to be granted the Certification in Sustainable Tourism ( CST-TO) at the ceremony attended by the Costa Rica's President, Oscar Arias , who reaffirmed his commitment to supporting what has been described as the “ the right kind of tourism” for Costa Rica .
Mr. Dieter Melchior, General Manager, Mrs. Emilia Gamboa, President of Swiss Travel Service, Mr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, President of Costa Rica and Mr. Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Tourism Minister.
The Certification is granted by the Costa Rica Tourist Board ( the country's highest authority for this sector), which seeks to categorize each tourism company in terms of the degree its operations comply with a model of sustainability and and turning this concept into something real, practical and necessary to improve the way in which the natural and cultural resources are utilized. It likewise stimulates the active participation of local communities and reinforces the competitiveness of the business sector.
The certified companies –pioneers in the country –assure clients an amicable position with the environment in 4 fundamental aspects: physical-biological parameters, service management, external clients and socio-economic environment.
They also promote a joint effort intended to guarantee sustainable tourism product. This will diminish the negative operational impacts and will integrate good practices for sustainable tourism into the supplier operations, bearing in mind that the quality criteria go hand with sustainability standards.
The first certification reflects a true interest in positioning, Costa Rica as tourist destination that offers a quality product, and assures that its practices will protect the resources for future generations of tourist who wish to explore the wonders of this country.
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