The new manual, “Stepping Towards Sustainability: A Manual for Sustainable Tourism Suppliers and Supporters,” presents 20 common principles to realize sustainable tourism, developed through an extensive consultation process with over 200 representatives of Thai tourism supplier groups. The manual serves as a handy guide for suppliers developing and striving to improve their sustainability practices. These principles have been developed based on a consensus reached by participating local tourism supplier groups who compared the main pillars of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria

In 2009, Intrepid Travel became the first adventure tour operator to announce that we would carbon offset all of the trips that we operate across the globe. This accounts for 80% of our entire trip portfolio (we sell some trips operated by partner tour companies)! As a result, all of our trips operating in 2010 have the cost of carbon offsetting included in the trip cost. This move not only cemented Intrepid’s position as a leader in tackling climate change, but it marked a significant milestone in our journey to become a carbon neutral company.

In 2009, Basecamp Explorer, in partnership with 500 Masai landowners, agreed to create a 20,000 hectares community wildlife conservancy in Masai Mara Kenya. The called it Naboisho, which means togetherness in local Maa language. Unique to this conservancy is that each of the 500 landowners is guaranteed of monthly income paid as rent for fifteen years, for setting aside part of their land for conservation. The rent is determined by the number of acres a landowner has contributed to the conservancy and will increase each year based on inflation rates.

The project to help develop El Tigre into a sustainable community tourism destination met the goals of the Programme for South-South Cooperation (PSC). These goals include: Sustainable tourism, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, Access to Sustainable Energy and Efficient Energy Use, Sustainable Chains of Production and Consumption, and Gender Equity. The three guiding principles of successful PSC project candidates are Equality, Reciprocity and Participation.

The Rainforest Alliance provides tourism entrepreneurs and community-based businesses in Latin America with the tools and training they need to become more environmentally and socially responsible, to compete in the marketplace and to contribute to the conservation of the local cultures and nature. Last year, we launched the Rainforest Alliance Verified program.

Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association leads this project to bring first and innovative of Thailand Green Routes which all major supply chain and tourist destination will conform to sustainable standards to the market.CSR-MAP project bring good impact to Thailand sustainable tourism industry. Thailand benefits immensely from its position as a leading holiday destination for European tourists. However, Thai tourism actors agree that to maintain this position in the long-term, the industry must work to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and society.

The organization Elemento Natural, together with some friends, organized a photo expo, with pictures taken by indigenous children: it was called ‘The communities through the eyes of its children’. For that, we needed to raise money to provide cameras and to visit the communities to give instructions to the children. We chose 2 different schools (Rey Curre and Las Vegas), where we selected 22 students to participate. We gave them disposable cameras and asked them to take pictures of their homes, schools, pets, family, communities, nature.

Las Salinas – the salt flats – are 5 kim from Playa Viva near the Pacific Coast of Mexico, about 45 minutes south of the resort of Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. 120 families are members of a salt harvesting co-op. Of these, eighty are actively harvesting salt. Of those, less than half are using traditional means to harvest the salt. Playa Viva is a sustainable boutique hotel located nearby. Playa Viva has been working in this area for the last for years with the goal to go beyond green (doing less damage) and sustainable (net neutral) to be a truly “regenerative” resort, improving the biodiversity and resilience of the ecology and community.

Inability of small and medium sized accommodation providers to purchase services they really need like clean energy technologies and/or market access/e-commerce services. Typically it is hard for small businesses, primarily in the hospitality sector to collateralize their assets (i.e. their rooms stock) and/or gain access to finance from traditional lenders (especially in the developing world). High energy costs and a lack of market access due to insufficient e-commerce/online competitiveness are critical constraints to their long-term financial sustainability.

An owner of the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, New York, Jennifer Holderied has established herself as a recognized global leader for her visionary environmental GREEN programs and initiatives on a state, national and global level. She has pursued green travel innovations, helped protect the Adirondack Mountains: one of the earths only Carbon Sinks, is a recognized leader for her environmental leadership, champion of the environment for her educational leadership to guests and everyone worldwide who visits Lake Placid, New York.