To ensure the well-being of our most beloved travel destinations, we must prioritize the well-being of their local communities. We seek to support sustainable development by promoting fair income distribution, support for local businesses, and strong worker rights within the tourism industry.
Impact Tourism: Giving Time, Talent, & Treasure: A World Tourism Day Forum
In 2019, our third annual World Tourism Day Forum focused on how tourism business, travelers, and organizations are making strategic contributions of time, talent, and treasure to social and environmental projects in destinations – a concept that CREST calls impact tourism. Recognizing that “doing good” does not always mean “doing right,” the forum also used a lessons-learned approach to examine the downsides of poorly implemented travel giving programs. The Forum was hosted in partnership with the Organization of American States at the United States Institute of Peace.
The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends and Statistics 2019
Our 2019 edition of our annual Trends & Statistics report includes a special focus on impact tourism, providing cutting-edge examples of how tourism businesses, travelers, and organizations are making strategic contributions of time, talent, and treasure to social and environmental projects in destinations. The report was prepared in collaboration with more than 30 leading organizations and institutions.
Travelers’ Philanthropy: Giving Time, Talent, & Treasure (2011)
This 34 minute film examines for the first time “Travelers’ Philanthropy” – the growing global movement by responsible tourism companies and travelers to support social service, environmental, micro-enterprise, and other types of projects in the host communities where tourism takes place. Directed by Charlene Music and Peter Jordan, two talented documentary-makers from Stanford University, the film profiles community and conservation projects in Costa Rica, Kenya, and Tanzania that are being supported by tourism companies. The filmmakers talk with community members, travelers, and experts about both the benefits as well as the pitfalls of this relatively new form of development assistance.
A Portrait of Economic Realities in Nosara and Sámara: Providing Tools for Sustainable Development
This 2014 study of the Nosara and Sámara Districts in Costa Rica provides the Nosara Civic Association (NCA), which represents the coastal zone and Development Association of Nosara (ADIN), with essential data and technical assistance needed to move forward with plans for both governmental reform and sustainability. Nosara and Sámara are both characterized by vacation homes and small-scale resort tourism, though poverty still persists.
Caribbean “Green” Travel: Your Choices Make A Difference
This 2016 educational documentary shows that the Caribbean is more than a traditional large resort and cruise tourism. Through the power of a good example, the 45-minute film includes portraits of tourism businesses in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Grenada that are practicing environmental stewardship and generating social and economic benefits for local communities. Filmed by Jamaican filmmaker Esther Figueroa and edited by Richard Krantz of Pilot Productions, the film is part of a public education campaign targeting visitors to the Caribbean. To guide teachers at all levels who wish to use the film in their classes, we have also created a study guide.