How to Lift Sustainable Tourism to its Rightful Place, for The Long Run

San Jose, Costa Rica – October, 2015 -The Long Run initiative of The Zeitz Foundation welcomed the Vice President of Costa Rica, Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría, and the Costa Rica Tourism Minister, Mauricio Ventura, to its workshop ‘Lifting Sustainable Tourism to its Rightful Place – The Role of Sustainable Tourism in Global Development and Policy’.

The workshop, co-organised by The Long Run, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and the Chamber of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism of Costa Rica (CANAECO), emphasised the recently announced UN Sustainable Development Goals as amplifying the opportunity to realise the full potential of the tourism industry for the wellbeing of the people and the planet globally.

Featuring renowned leaders and entrepreneurs in sustainable tourism from Costa Rica and across The Long Run’s international network, the workshop demonstrated how top-down global policy impacts local actions and how bottom-up on-the-ground realities must inevitably inform and shape global policy. Millions of people depend on tourism dollars. Costa Rica, due to receive 2.5 million visitors this year, is a good example: tourism employs 26% of the country’s population earning 5% of its GDP and yet the sector battles for its rightful place in the development agenda.

The discussion highlighted how a globally supportive policy and development context represents both a challenge and opportunity for an industry that is mostly small scale enterprise. However, the industry can’t be absolved of its responsibility.  "Whilst business can provide solutions, it can also cause problems which governments and NGOs can’t be expected to solve alone. Business has both a responsibility and an opportunity to be part of the solution, and the tourism sector has to play its due role. After all, without nature, we have nothing as a sector to promote", noted Jochen Zeitz, the founder of The Long Run, The Zeitz Foundation, and the B Team.

The Long Run selected Costa Rica for its workshop, recognising the big role the country’s leadership-by-example has played in green growth and innovation focussed on sustainable development derived from a diversified economic base and where governance works in collaboration with business leaders and local stakeholders. In the words of Mr. Gustavo Segura, Vice President of Costa Rica Tourism Board, "Tourism offers new options to break the poverty cycle, invest in the communities and provide sustainability solutions hand in hand with social peace." This is amply evidenced by the work and impacts of businesses such as Lapa Rios Ecolodge (GER®) and Pacuare Lodge – members The Long Run.

It was against this back drop that the Board of Directors chose Costa Rica and the opportunity of the international workshop to formally launch The Long Run as an independent not-for-profit organisation.

Summing up, Mr. Geoffrey Lipman, President at International Coalition of Tourism Partners and Chair of greenearth.travel, noted that the travel industry is behind the curve in translating global policy into local level actions.  Instead of growth seen in Satellite accounts and ‘green’ seen as separate, efforts need to be brought together to impact mainstream policy making.  Everyone has a responsibility to link tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals and climate targets.

The opportunity is to deliver local community positive impacts through the right, aspirational kind of tourism. Nature based tourism can provide this instrument and niche, as has been seen in Costa Rica’s leadership, and where The Long Run is well placed – with a great brand, leader and realisable vision, passion and authenticity – to play an important role.

The workshop will contribute to further inform the Costa Rican policy and strengthen its commitment in relation to sustainable and nature-based tourism, as well as that of The Long Run movement – thanks to the great contribution of a highly informed and engaging audience.

Click here for special guest video interviews from the workshop:

The Costa Rica Tourism Minister, Mauricio Ventura traces back three decades Costa Rica tourism development and how brings it forward to what it is to-date.

Mr. Gustavo Segura, Vice President of Costa Rica Tourism Board explains about the vision and model for tourism in Costa Rica, as well as challenges.

Mr. Diego Gonzlez, CANAECO, explains about the work Costa Rica’s National Chamber of Eco and Sustainable Tourism.

Mr. Jochen Zeitz, Founder of The Long Run explains his vision for The Long Run as the largest, most influential, commercially-based alliance and network of members adhering to the 4Cs philosophy of Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce for sustainable management and development, as a leading voice in sustainable tourism.

About The Long Run

The Long Run is a not-for-profit organisation driving global sustainability through nature-based tourism business members. It is built around membership and supporters, its 4C framework or Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce and the Global Ecosphere Retreats® (GER) standard that has been called "the world’s best standards for privately protected areas" (Dr. Jeff A. Langholz).

In 2014, The Long Run’s members’ impacts included:

– Investment: More than USD 5 million in community development and nature conservation

– Supporting Lives: Half a million people in total; over 40,000 directly, from 54 cultures

– Employment & Empowerment: Supporting 2700 jobs, in 58 towns and villages

– Biodiversity Conservation: Supporting 12 million acres in total; 7.6 million directly

– Species: Over 18,000 species in total; 680 endangered

The Long Run was set up originally as an initiative of The Zeitz Foundation with the mission to create and support sustainable, ecologically and socially responsible projects and destinations around the world to achieve long-lasting impact and sustainability in privately managed areas.

The Long Run retains Zeitz as chairman of the board, with other board members composed of elected Global Ecosphere Retreats®, distinguished members of The Long Run community and philanthropists from around the world.

Jochen Zeitz remains Director of Kering and Chairman of its board’s Sustainable Development Committee, and co-founder and co-chair with Sir Richard Branson of The B Team.

More about The Long Run efforts, its members’ case studies and impacts can be viewed on the website, www.thelongrun.com.

About CANAECO

CANAECO is a nonprofit and private organization that envisions tourism activity that upholds sustainability development principles, thus providing a sustainable tourism model for Costa Rica. CANAECO works on 3 lines of action: 1) Influencing public policies and strategic issues relevant to the private sector of tourism in order to actively contribute to the consolidation of sustainable development. 2) Divulging information and knowledge related to sustainability concepts that foster informational events, to strengthen the education of the various sectors in the field, through training and various communication tools. 3) Developing projects that enable the promotion of responsible tourism as a dynamic agent of socio-economic development and environmental conservation". For more information, please visit: www.canaeco.org

About Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT)

Established in 1955, the Costa Rica Tourism Board spearheads the vital task of regulating and promoting Costa Rica’s extensive tourism offerings. The ICT and its partners in the private sector work tirelessly to garner recognition, standardise practices, provide insightful research data and foster cultural development for the country’s coast to coast one-of-a-kind tourism products and resources.

About Costa Rica

Costa Rica is located in Central America, nestled between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south; it is bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. With an abundance of unique wildlife, landscapes and climates this small country proudly shelters approximately five percent of the known biodiversity in the world. In order to protect and preserve its wealth of natural resources Costa Rica has become a global leader in sustainable practices with protected areas comprising 26 percent of its land mass. With a peaceful spirit, emphasis on education and an economy based on tourism, technology and exportation, Costa Ricans and visitors alike enjoy one of the highest standards of living and organized tourism infrastructure in Latin America among a tropical paradise of lush rainforests, mystical volcanoes and cloud forests and beaches that meet mountains filled with monkeys and macaws. Offering a broad terrain of activities and accommodations, visitors to Costa Rica will find a range of hotel options ranging from small beachside bed & breakfasts, to authentic intimate boutique mountain lodges, to major international business hotel brands and everything in between; Costa Rica’s accommodations offer something appealing for everyone’s desires. The phrase "Pura Vida" can be heard echoing throughout Costa Rica from coast to coast. Used as a greeting or expression of happiness, the phrase literally translates to "pure life," however its true meaning is "full of life," which accurately describes the adventure and wonder that await visitors.

For more information, contact:

Victoria Smith

Market, Brand & Communications

The Long Run

info@ thelongrun .com [no spaces]

www.thelongrun.com