Sustainable Tourism Council created in Brazil São Paulo, Brazil (June 28,2002)
Environmentalists, tourism businessmen and experts from all over the country met in São Paulo, on June 28 and 29, to officially found the Brazilian Sustainable Tourism Council (CBTS is the acronym in Portuguese). The mission of the new organization is to promote sustainable tourism in Brazil by establishing an independent certification system, with social and environmental quality standards which are adequate to the Brazilian realm. The launching of CBTS took place at the Meliá Jardim Europa Hotel in São Paulo, during the III Sustainable Tourism Certification Workshop. The Brazilian Sustainable Tourism Council is the result of a process started in 1999 by a coalition of NGOs, the tourism trade and experts in the field. WWF-Brazil, together with SOS Mata Atlantica Foundation, lead this movement since 2000 and since then two preparatory workshops were organized, aswell as public hearings during trade' s meetings and tourism seminars at national scope. An e-mail discussion group on sustainable tourism is also coordinated by WWF-Brazil. The discussion and drafting of the sustainability standards for the tourismactivity in Brazil are the the first steps towards the establishing of a certification system by CBTS. The chief goal of the certification of sustainable tourism is the identification and characterization of the tourism activity's components and products of the tourism trade which are environmentally adequate, economically viable and socially just. After careful evaluation, certifiers will vouch forsuch qualities by issuing a label. Such certification plays a valuable role in the identification of tourism activity's sustainability and encouragesgreater responsibility and competitiveness in the tourism trade. The seal,a marketing label, will be issued only to those whose business reaches a certain efficiency and performance standard, thus allowing consumers to identify the suppliers of responsible service. Tourism certification generates environmental, economic and social benefits. From the environmental point of view, it contributes to biodiversity conservation, helps to maintain the environmental quality of the tourism attractions and to protect endangered species. It also makes it economically viable for protected areas to be used for tourism, adding value for marketing and generating competitive advantages for the enterprize, besides facilitating the access to new markets, in particular international ones. Socially,it legalizes the tourism trade, ensures good working conditions and promotes the respect to the rights of workers, indigenous people and local communities. "Tourism is one of the most promising economic sources in the planet. It contributes to the social, economic and cultural development of a country", says Sérgio Salazar Salvati, WWF-Brazil's Tourism & Environment Program Coordinator. "However, if practiced only with the economic focus, without planning based on the local biological, physical, economic and social characteristics, tourism can generate ecological and social unbalance". For further information: Jorge Fecuri, Communications Officer tel: (+5561) 364-7485 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This press release can be found in the website http://www.wwf.org.br
