Blog Archives

Green Private Destinations, Resort Hotels and Tour Operators

Customized Learning for hotels, lodgings, resorts,  tour operators, MICE venues and companies – hotel, resorts and hospitality businesses by GSTC recognized Green Destinations standards and be included in the Green Travel Guide

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Divine and Right. Banyan Tree Mayakoba.

In the framework of the Green Destinations Global Leaders Program, the Green Travel Guide concept is developed as a means of strengthening sustainable regional development and green promotion. Since early 2019 we cooperate with a number of destinations in piloting the concept; one of these is Schouwen-Duiveland, the first certified Green Destination in the Netherlands.

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Green Destinations Sustainable Tourism Learning, Capacity Building to Awards and Certification!

 

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Paradisus Riviera Maya – La Perla and La Esmeralda: a model of eco efficiency and sustainability.

The aim of a Green Travel Guide is to promote an attractive and responsible holiday and leisure offer in selected destinations by:

  1. Encouraging businesses and governments to meet criteria that are aligned with the GSTC Industry Criteria and with Green Destinations’ G.R.E.E.N. values;
  2. Monitoring and verifying sustainability aspects through independent checks;
  3. Supporting the promotion of regions as green holiday destinations.
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Architect Arturo Amaya showing the architecture, nature and design, highlighting environmental conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

In addition to participation in our destination certification program, the Green Travel Guide offers local governments and their business sector a new tool to boost its development as a “Green Destination” and for a more coherent promotion of “sustainable attractions and companies “. Based on the first pilots we will evaluate the wider market potential of this tool among tour operators, travel agents, consumers.

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At Rio Secreto, Riviera Maya multi-awarded natural reserve and ecotourism company. From left: #SustainableRivieraMaya CEO Ms. Beatriz Barreal, Society for Sustainable Tourism President & CEO Ms. Susan Santos de Cardenas and Ms. Kristel Arce, PR Manager of Rio Secreto.

Provided that the destination makes active use of the Green Travel Guide, companies will be encouraged to take all kinds of improvements in the field of sustainability with the aim to put themselves on the map. This improves the quality of the destination as a whole. This reduces the risk of over-tourism, on the one hand by preventing unsustainable developments (as we see them e.g. in Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam) by specific policies and regulations and on the other by attracting specific target groups with a responsible green offer.  

 

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Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Hotels – award winning Earth Check certified and GSTC Sustainable Hotel Ambassador

 

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Paradisus Riviera Maya –  Trip Advisor’s Eco Leader,  Earth Check Certified.

Global Leaders – Green Destinations- Green Travel Guide South East Representative 

SUSAN SANTOS DE CÁRDENAS – Green Destinations Representative for the Philippines and Southeast Asia, CEO and President, Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development- SSTDI

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Saying “hola” to the iguana, at the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya,  Sustainable Hotel Ambassador of Sustainable Riviera Maya.

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See her bio in our Society Stewards Page.

Learn more about the Green Destinations in our programs or how we can help your hotel/resort/lodging/tourism business implement sustainability best practices.

 

Society for Sustainable Tourism President & CEO is Founding Board of Asian Ecotourism Network

Party Like There IS Tomorrow – Greening Events and Festivals

Do you know if your event is helping or hurting the environment? Include a Sustainable Events Management with CSR in your next big meeting or feasting! Not only the local host community but also their future generations will thank you for this.

 

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An APEC Philippines 2015 party in Boracay Island hosted by Department of Tourism. When will the tourism and hotel industry start to green their meetings, events and expos?

Concerts, sporting events, conventions, festival and big outdoor gatherings are an essential part of community life that has a positive effect on society. Unfortunately they can have negative impacts on the environment. Events generate garbage, use electricity, require a lot of materials to run them, along with plenty of travel by the audience and/or participants that leave carbon footprints.

Bacolod City “Electric” Masskara. Is this a sustainable event? Does it minimize energy consumption? Genuinely benefit the grassroots?

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Sustainable Events: think planet, people, profit AND the future generations.

Sustainable Events Management. Any event can be managed sustainably, whether small or large, a conference or caucus, an annual festival or something that is ongoing, like a series of spectator sports   – the concept of minimizing impacts of purchasing, energy production, transport, waste and sanitation can be applied in almost any situation. A green meeting, sustainable festival or eco-friendly live event seeks to minimize its resource use and all the potentially negative impacts on the environment.

“Greening” an event or meeting involves all aspects of the planning process, a detailed collaboration of everyone involved, from producer to supplier, from venue to viewers.

At the First Events Asia, talking about “Greening Meetings”. Educate participants to do green and eco-friendly practices.

Practice Sustainable Events in order to satisfy the needs of attendees and host community alike, while protecting and improving future opportunities.  Simply put, minimize and reduce the environmental cost of your events and embed the concepts of sustainability into your purchasing and operational decisions. Educate all participants to avoid careless and negligent behavior like leaving trash, using plastics and causing heavy impact to the already fragile environment to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Purchasing.  When purchasing, buy sustainably. Buy local.Purchase from local vendors and buy products manufactured within the province or region to reduce carbon footprints.

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Buy local. Support local. Our “Certificate of Appreciation” for our First Environmental Forum in Negro Occidental were placemats courtesy of Handmade Gallery. Very handy and useful.

Waste management. Practice the new mantra of RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE AND REPORT.

Re-think giveaways – Ensure they are useful, utilize recycled materials, and have minimal packaging. Reduce or limit paper communications.

Energy. Use sustainable energy. Use ecological alternatives to diesel- and gasoline/petrol-powered generators. Reduce power consumption. Adopt procedures to reduce the total energy consumed by the event.

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Skylanters are beautiful as they fly across the night sky, but environmental impacts and hazards can be ugly.

Sustainable Transport. Reduce the carbon emissions in transport. Provide participants, audience, staff, and volunteers with public transport and ride sharing options, and encourage cycling and walking to the event.

Form a Green Team to share about your environmental commitment and encourage participants to green their own events, meetings, conferences and other business practices.  

The Coron Initiative Green Leaders. Training the trainers for Environmental Conservation, Sustainable Tourism, Hospitality and Events. Sustainable Purchasing & Green Products & Suppliers talks from Echo Store Managing Partners, Ms. Reena Francisco & Ms. Chit Juan.

Lean and green. Even in an economic crisis, green practices and long-term sustainability goals should not take a backseat to the bottom line.  Incorporating green and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) practices into events and meetings can be beneficial —not only to establish their companies as good corporate citizens, but to actually save money!

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Green Hotels_ Low Energy, Efficient Energy

These are just some of the many ways to green your events – the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Do you know if your event is helping or hurting the environment? Include a Sustainable Events Management with CSR Workshop in your next big happening!

Our Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc. -SSTDI offers Capacity Building and Training programs to public and private stakeholders, host communities and grassroots in sustainable tourism development & stewardship to include Sustainable Events, Festivals and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions).  Waste to Energy projects are offered to LGUs for their ecological solidwaste management andrenewable energy solutions. For more information and assistance, contact us. 

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“In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same thing. If it’s un-environmental it is uneconomical. That is the rule of nature.” ~ Mollie Beatty

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