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Sustainability programs Costa Rica Why Not ???

Ecological Blue Flag Program

Costa Rica has beaches of great natural beauty, which is a very important factor for national and international tourist attraction. Unfortunately in our country there is no harmony between the development of coastal and hotel boom with environmental protection of beaches. In light of the above the Instituto Costarricense de Alcantarillados, through its Central Laboratory regularly assesses the quality of beach water in order to make medical diagnoses and protect the health of visitors to coastal areas. It promotes an annual evaluation system that serves as an incentive to care for the beaches, which is to give the "Ecological Blue Flag" to the communities that meet the quality aspects of sea water quality of beaches, access to drinking water, wastewater treatment, environmental education, security and manageability.
The project "Ecological Blue Flag" is set as an incentive to hoteliers, tourism chambers and coastal communities to protect, in a holistic manner, the beaches of Costa Rica. This incentive is an adaptation of the "Blue Flag" awarded by the European Union since 1985.

It is a program that attempts to categorize and certification of tourism companies according to the degree to which its operation is close to a model of sustainability.
For that assesses four key areas:

1. Physical and biological environment
Evaluates the interaction between the company and the surrounding natural environment, interesting policy implementation and sustainability programs, environmental protection, among others.

2. Ground Service (This field is for Lodging Establishments)
Aspects are assessed systems and internal business processes, with regard to waste management and utilization of technologies for saving electricity and water.

2. Service management (This field is for Agencies Tour Operators)
Understands the process by which the company believes all exogenous and endogenous factors, designing a tourism product in line with market trends and characteristics of the country and localities where they are going to operationalize the product.

3. Customer
It assesses the actions taken by management to invite the client to participate in the implementation of sustainability policies of the company.

4. Socioeconomic environment
We evaluate the identification and establishment of interaction with adjacent communities, determining for example the extent to which tourism businesses respond to the growth and development of the region through job creation or achievement of benefits for the community.

What implications does the CST?
o For the national tourism sector

At the country level, the CST is a brand that will allow Costa Rica differ as a destination, offering a tourism product with a connotation of sustainability. An aspect that will impact not only on the marketing policies undertaken by the country but also in controls to eliminate the practice of some companies operating abusing the concept of "eco", "green" or "sustainable".

"The Certificate for Sustainable Tourism, known as CST, has been recognized by the World Tourism Organization as one of the programs that is making change the form of tourism.
January 2000, San Jose, Costa Rica."

o For the tourist businessman

The program means the possibility of having a new element of competitiveness based on a new way of differentiating their product looks to be fully strengthened and promoted by the ICT in tourism promotion campaigns, national and international business as an incentive for effort.

Furthermore, the CST encourages good stewardship in the use of company resources in promoting their savings and efficient use, which will have a positive impact on the cost-benefit of the company. For example, the use of energy saving technologies offer opportunities to avoid the resource intensive without compromising on the quality of service at once, for a significant reduction over billing on resources.

o For the tourist

Tourists select a tour company that has the logo of the CST can be sure that it engaged in actions in all business management processes in order to avoid negative impacts on the environment, culture and society. For other productive sectors
The CST is a "spearhead" which opens opportunities for business development suppliers of goods and services with a sustainable orientation.

The need for using recycled products, reusable, natural, devices for energy saving and water, waste management, information and others is the trigger that opens the door to a new market for environmentally and socially friendly products, capable of supplying medium term to other sectors of the economy, generating a synergy and an overall positive balance in terms of sustainability.