Certificate of Sustainable Tourism

Certificate of Sustainable Tourism

One trip to Costa Rica and you'll swear everything here is eco-lodges, eco-tourism, eco-this, eco-that. But "sustainability," the buzzword in Costa Rican tourism these days, also has to do with conserving cultural, as well as natural, resources. The Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program, administered jointly by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, National Chamber of Tourism, Ministry of the Environment, and University of Costa Rica, recognizes businesses that adhere to those ideals. Those that submit to a rigorous assessment are evaluated on their employment of local people, respect for local culture, contribution to the economic and social well-being of the community, and preservation of natural resources. Businesses that rely heavily on foreign investment and whose earnings are mostly repatriated outside Costa Rica don't make the cut (but probably don't submit to an evaluation in the first place).

Instead of stars, 55 hotels have earned one to five leaves for their efforts. At this writing, Finca Rosa Blanca, north of Heredia in the Central Valley, and Lapa Ríos, at Cabo Matapalo on the South Pacific, are the only two lodgings to hold five leaves. The resort and hotels that are recognized are not all small "mom-and-pop" places: Manuel Antonio's Sí Como No and Arenal's Tabacón have been recognized as well. Nor are they only places in the middle of the rain forest: San José's large but unobtrusive Clarion Hotel Amón is among several city lodgings proudly displaying awards.

While other countries have their own rating systems for eco-friendly lodgings, many of these suffer from corrupt policies that allow ratings to be bought. The CST is one of the best and most thorough awards programs in the world. In fact, the World Tourism Organization has adopted it as its model, and countries from Mexico to Malawi now employ similar standards. You'll find a list of Costa Rican CST holders at the program's bilingual Web site, www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr.