Our Environmental Commitment & Community Programs
Greenway Nature Tours is a leader company in nature travel, taking our guests on environmentally responsible expeditions to some of the Costa Rica’s most remarkable places. Our goal is to enhance our guests’ interest, understanding and appreciation for the natural and cultural wonders of this country.
We are an ECOTOURISM & ADVENTURE TOURS COMPANY committed to sustainability thought close attention to environment & community impacts. Our tours and packages involve a lot of nature contemplation, education, study field trips, personalized service and high standards of quality for all to our customers.
What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is not just limited to areas of ecological significance, but actively aims to reduce negative impacts in a holistic way, in urban, rural, and wilderness areas. Issues confronted include economic viability, socio-cultural sensitivity, and environmental sustainability, at destinations of natural and cultural significance, in both mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainable tourism not only examines and responds to the needs of the present, but how current actions will also reduce negative impacts in the long term.
What is Ecotourism?
Ecotourism is a type of sustainable tourism that emphasizes conserving nature and improving the lives of local people in rural and wilderness areas.
When we visit beautiful places it’s natural to want our holidays to have a positive impact on local people and their environments.
Responsible travel is about more authentic holiday experiences that enable you to get a little bit more out of your travels and give a little bit more back to destinations and local people. All holidays have positive and negative impacts locally. Responsible travel maximizes the benefits, and minimizes the negative effects of tourism.
Be a Savvy Traveler!
Each vacation you take is an opportunity to have a positive impact on the places you visit. Anyone can be a responsible traveler! You can get back to nature, or bathe in luxury…hike into the rainforest, or explore the city…stay close to home, or travel to the exotic location of your dreams. Responsible travel provides many options and is often very affordable. By using socially and environmentally responsible tour operators, hotels and outfitters, you can ensure that your trip contributes to conservation efforts and to the wellbeing of communities. Your travel choices make a difference. On this way, Greenway Nature Tours has a selected a group of special suppliers that have an environmental commitment as well. At least 50% of our lodging contractors had been certified as Green Companies by the Costa Rican Tourist Board (Certification in Sustainable Tourism CST).
CST is regulated by the Costa Rican National Accreditation Commission and consists of a scale of 5 “levels” of sustainable tourism achievement. Greenway Tours just got a second term certificated with 4 leaves and we had been certified since 2009.
Our Community Programs & Traveler’s Philanthropy
There are a growing number of conscientious consumers and responsible travel companies who are donating financial resources, time, talent and economic patronage to protect and positively impact the cultures and environments they visit. This voluntary movement is becoming known as Travelers’ Philanthropy.
Travelers’ or travel philanthropy, as it’s also commonly known, is helping to support community development, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental, socio-cultural and economic improvements including providing jobs, educational and professional training opportunities, health care and environmental stewardship.
Why Travel Philanthropy?
- Government budgets and international aid is decreasing in some developed and many undeveloped countries, increasing the level of need.
- Protecting the environmental and socio-cultural needs of host countries strengthens relationships and improves business.
- Almost 90% of the U.S. population state that it is important for companies to not just be profitable, but to be mindful of their impact on the environment and society (Source: Corporate Social Responsibility: Consumer Understanding and Influence, Natural Marketing Institute, 2005)
- Industry leaders who have strong environmental and social values and ethics are pioneering the movement.
- Growing movement toward corporate responsibility as it improves market differentiation and increases consumer demand.
What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is not just limited to areas of ecological significance, but actively aims to reduce negative impacts in a holistic way, in urban, rural, and wilderness areas. Issues confronted include economic viability, socio-cultural sensitivity, and environmental sustainability, at destinations of natural and cultural significance, in both mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainable tourism not only examines and responds to the needs of the present, but how current actions will also reduce negative impacts in the long term.
Attributes of Travel Philanthropy
Though many Travel Philanthropy programs are unrelated, most have similar attributes.
Most Travel Philanthropy programs have a focus on educating travelers about local environmental, socio-cultural and economic issues. They also encourage a constructive interaction between travelers, travel companies and the communities and local people who are being visited.
By taking this approach, these programs help to inspire visitors to donate financial resources or time where it’s most needed.
Successful projects also determine the needs of local and indigenous people while empowering them to help manage funding resources for community development and conservation initiatives. Often, this means establishing partnerships between travelers and the tourism industry as well as non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies, complimenting their international development and aid programs.
The Importance of Travel Philanthropy
More than 500 million people travel for leisure each year and there is an increasing demand for travel as remote corners of the world become increasingly accessible.
Among the most severe environmental effects of travel are pollution, intensified or unsustainable use of land, the depletion of natural resources, and alteration of ecosystems. Host communities can also be adversely affected. Loss of indigenous identity and values, resource use conflicts, cultural deterioration, and land-use disputes are among the many challenges host communities face.
Travel and tourism clearly contribute to globalization. However, if estimates are accurate, charitable giving by Americans alone could exceed $300 billion annually by 2020, providing a real opportunity to reduce the economic inequalities that exist in the world today.
Based on this principles, Greenway Nature Tours has identified several programs that will need your support.
Our Programs
Rainforest and Biodiversity Protection
Greenway Tours support several private initiatives that are working for the natural resources and the wildlife conservation by different ways. One of them is with direct economic support to their programs and other one is by bringing our clients to these projects to see what they are doing in order to learn about their experiences. With these visits we support indirectly they work with the entrance fees and tours and invite to our customers to make donations. An organization we are supporting right now is Fundacion Corcovado, a very important organization protecting this national park and it wildlife corcovadofoundation.org
Community Support and Education
Greenway Tours has a strong leadership in Costa Rica regarding Educational Travel. Every year we attend students group’s form all over the world, from countries such as United Stated, England, Canada, Grand Cayman, Holland, Mexico and others.
In all our Educational Travel Programs (ETP) we include visits to local schools in remote and poor areas of Costa Rica, in order to promote a Cultural Exchange between the foreign students and the local ones. By this way, both groups get real impressions about their realities and help the students to create better global relationships between races, creeds, ethnicities and cultures.
Normally we invite to the visitors to bring small presents for the local students and the school, and the local ones prepares with their limited resources and Greenway Tours support, special activities such as soccer games, pick nicks, traditional games, reforestation programs, classroom’s painting, etc.
In many of the cases, the foreign schools organize fund raisings and give donation to the facility chosen by Greenway Tours. During the last 18 years, Greenway Tours has selected and been working with the small and poor school of CALLE LA LUCHA in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. All our last groups had visited this school and with the different donations, the School’s Board of Directors has been able to build better and newer facilities for the students, helping by this way to create better conditions for the community.
For the next years, we are working with the school with a new project for build a cafeteria and a library for the students.
Memberships & Certifications
