Sustainable Tourism Best Practices

The Rainforest Alliance has published a Guide for Sustainable Tourism Best Practices. The guide, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, includes a series of principles and concrete recommendations that can be implemented by companies, communities and individuals whose livelihood depends on land-use.

The Rainforest Alliance, in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, has developed best management practices for the tourism, forestry and agriculture industries. These management practices comply with sustainability principles, and can be used as the basis for the development of policies, codes of conduct and public awareness materials.

The 180 page guide is available for download in both English and Spanish. It has three sections, covering the environmental, soci-cultural and economic issues, a glossary and bibliography. According to the preface:

This second edition of the Guide includes an overview of the various criteria currently used by different tourism sustainability certification programs operating in the Americas, thus covering new issues and aspects that have emerged since the edition published in September 2003. . .

Making a reality of sustainable tourism entails adopting “best practices,� namely, corrective or improved measures implemented in every area of tourist business management and operation. These actions are aimed at ensuring that the least possible impact is caused, that tourist product quality and image are improved, that business development becomes more efficient, and therefore, social and economic development does as well.

Each section defines the concept, offers basic principles and practical tips for implementing the specific practice under discussion.