BOULDER, COLO.—After completing a successful pilot launch, NSF International (NSF) and Sustainable Travel International (STI) announced the official launch of the new Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP) Program.
The STEP certification program addresses consumer and travel industry concerns regarding negative environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts. Areas addressed include environmental pollution, introduction of invasive species that could potentially cause harm to ecosystems and human health, loss of cultural heritage, and leakage, which occurs when a tourism business buys supplies from outside the region, providing no assistance to the local economy.
In many parts of the world, tourism standards are either loosely enforced or nonexistent. The STEP certification program was developed in response to recent criticism from tourist destinations regarding the need for sustainable development in tourism.
The key to sustainable tourism development is to effectively manage the environment to ultimately provide benefits to local people and to increase visitors’ interest. The new program demonstrates the importance of certification to all travel and tourism providers, including hoteliers, tour operators, attractions and transportation service providers, and assists them with the implementation of sustainable business practices and management systems.
Companies Aim to Fill Certification Void
“Our goal is to complement and support other credible certification initiatives while offering the program in regions where none currently exist,” says Brian T. Mullis, STI Co-founder and President. “Our challenge has been to create a user-friendly program that’s applicable to tourism businesses of all sizes and meets all of the various stakeholders’ needs, while at the same time trying to ensure that the program will be financially sustainable.”
NSF recognizes the potential the program will have in helping tourism-related businesses of all sizes to reach increasing levels of sustainability in their operations. The educational component of STEP is designed for newcomers to sustainability, those wanting to improve their existing approach, and businesses that have long-standing sustainability programs.
“STI’s expertise in sustainable tourism and eco-certification is the ideal complement to NSF’s existing environmental auditing and management systems registration services,” says NSF International President and CEO Kevan P. Lawlor. “Together, we will help protect the environment and cultural heritage for future generations while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development.”
Go to www.ecocertification.org.
