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LATEST NEWS:

Press Release: March 14, 2012

Alternative Development Models and Good Practices for Sustainable Costal Tourism: A Framework for Decision Makers in Mexico

Clic Aquí para la Versión en Español

CREST Study featured in onearth article by Sylvia Arias - "Is it Time to Rethink the Costa Rican Tourism Industry?"

Traveler's Philanthropy Conference featured in IUCN newsletter. Click Here to check in out

CREST is quoted in the New York Times Green Blog. Click Here to see the article: "Controversial Airport is Planned for Costa Rica"

3rd International Travelers' Philanthropy Conference - Click Here to read a Summary Report

The New York Times asks "Is there a right way to spend money while traveling?" In their recent article CREST says "Yes!"

Intrepid covers the Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook on their Intrepid Express Blog.

CREST helps Travel Weekly examine Travelers' Philanthropy in "Good Deeds, Good Business"

CREST helps Travel Weekly determine "How Green is my Travel?" in this article.

TravelTalk Radio interviewed Martha Honey about CREST's Traveler's Philanthropy and the 3rd International Conference on Traveler's Philanthropy! Click here to listen! More News...

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Responsible Tourism Tanzania

Responsible Tourism Tanzania is a new initiative that started at the International Travelers Philanthropy Conference that was held in Arusha in 2008. The idea for this organization is to set the standards and accredit tourism enterprises for an ecotourism or responsible approach. Since the conference, the idea of Responsible Tourism Tanzania has steadily grown and recently it launched a new website.

Click here to learn more about their initiatives!

Serengeti Watch Campaign

Click here to sign an online petition to save the Serengeti, one of the most important wildlife sites in the world.

Click here to learn more details.

Past Events:

2011 Zumba Instructor Convention

CREST participated in the 2011 Zumba Instructor Convention on July 7 - 10 for fund raising!

 

 

Home >Welcome to CREST

Our Mission

The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a non-profit research institution with offices in Washington, DC and at Stanford University, whose mission is to promote responsible tourism policies and practices globally so that local communities may thrive and steward their cultural resources and biodiversity.

CREST has developed 5 successful program areas:

  • Global leader in Travelers' Philanthropy.
  • Setting standards and strengthening responsible tourism
  • Analyzing impacts of different models of tourism and promoting innovation
  • Paid consulting and field research
  • Sharing expertise and providing leadership

Recent Projects

Tourism Development Action Plan for

Agrigento, Sicily

CREST is proud to announce that we are developing a sustainable tourism feasibility study and development plan for Agrigento, Italy, that will identify and generate tourism-related investments and employment opportunities within an acceptable social and environmental safeguards framework. The plan will focus on the conservation of the cultural, historic and natural attributes of the city and its immediate surroundings while ensuring the socio-economic benefits of its local residents.

Leading this project, we have Martha Honey, the director of CREST, based in Washington, DC and Stanford University, along with Juan Luna, a professor of tourism at George Washington University and a former tourism project specialist with the Inter-American Development Bank. We have been fortunate to meet with many fascinating and knowledgeable people in both the public and private sector of Agrigento and look forward to working toward a sustainable future.

 

Recently Released:

Alternative Development Models and Good Practices for Sustainable Costal Tourism:

A Framework for Decision Makers in Mexico

Clic Aquí para la Versión en Español

This report by CREST addresses the importance of incorporating legal, institutional, and international instruments into Mexico's national strategy to build a more sustainable and competitive tourism industry. It is intended as a guide for decision makers involved in coastal tourism, both in the government and the private sector.

 

This seminal CREST publication marks the first comprehensive publication on travelers’ philanthropy.The Handbook covers the principles, origins and growth of travelers’ philanthropy and offers practical ‘how to’ advice, do’s and don’ts, and best practices for businesses, community organizations, and travelers interested in developing or participating in travel ‘give back’ programs.

 

 

See our Partners section to learn more about the organizations we work with, or to learn about conservation and sustainable development work worldwide.