- Biennial congress is the only international event held by Costa Rica on sustainable tourism issues.
On September 4-6, the Costa Rica Convention Center will host the International Conference on Sustainable Tourism: Planet, People, Peace – P3, a conference held by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) and the National Chamber of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism (CANAECO).
The seventh conference will bring exhibitors and visitors from around the world to our country to exchange opinions, form proposals, discuss success stories and engage with various visions and sector knowledge in the area of sustainable tourism and similar areas.
A total of 34 exhibitors from Costa Rica and abroad, from a total of over 14 countries, will speak on issues including Integrated Tourist Destination Management, Sustainable Cuisine, Health and Wellness through Sustainable Tourism, Tourism for Peace and many other topics over two days.
The exhibitors include Héctor Ceballos from Mexico, Ben Page from the United States, Florian Dirksen from the Netherlands and figures such as Vanessa Hauc, a journalist from the international Telemundo chain and the documentary filmmaker Nigel Marven from National Geographic.
Tourism Minister Maria Amalia Revelo, speaking about the importance of this event for Costa Rica, noted that “P3 has become a conference with international prestige for discussions that touch on new trends and sustainability projects with valuable contributions from local and international experts. The historic support from ICT for this event over its long history is in line with the cross-cutting commitment to sustainability in our Development Plan and our global promotion of Costa Rican as a tourist destination”.
An Example of Sustainability
“P3 has positioned itself as a model sustainable event that stands out for its application of best practices to reduce waste, save energy, measure and offset the carbon footprint the event creates, as well as providing information on sustainability issues”, explained Fernando Madrigal, President of CANAECO.
From 2010 to the present, CANAECO has contributed around $18,000 to the national reforestation plan to offset 4,472 tons of greenhouse gases generated by 1,138 domestic and international flights. Its actions also support the country’s National Decarbonization Plan, which seeks to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The Conference has received a Declaration of Tourism Interest for the fourth time due to its importance to the sector, as well as receiving a Declaration of Cultural Interest for the third time.
Permanent efforts
CANAECO’s work is not limited to the period in which the P3 Conference is held, but rather spans the full year.
A demonstration if this is that some 1,817 people and 1,107 businesses and institutions have been trained between 2010 to 2019 in workshops, talks, online courses and educational tours. This is in addition to the 1,400 people who have attended P3 conferences.
In addition, the organization holds Volunteering Days focused on environmental, social and cultural issued, where workers from the tourism sector and similar areas devote their time and efforts to collecting recyclable waste, cleaning public areas, planting trees and supporting organizations like Chepe Se Baña and the food bank.
The idea is to raise awareness among the population of the value of each person’s actions for the planet, which is the inspiration behind this year’s social media campaign, which uses the hashtag #HacéQueCuente (make it count).
