Description

How can your hotel support an initiative for biodiversity?

In the case of Finca Exotica Ecolodge, in Costa Rica, the sea turtles conservation Cotorco program is supported through :

• Offering to hotel guests the « sea turtles » tour, including a visit of the hatchery and walking on the beach with the night patrol to spot turtles coming to nest. The hotel does not take a commission so that the integrity of the rate paid by the hotel guests goes to the association.
• Letting a member of the association coming to the hotel once a week to make a presentation to the guests in order to explain the stakes of sea turtles conservation.
• Offering on the hotel website the volunteering program, with a huge discount on low season (-60%) on room and board for volunteers.
• Donating regularly to the association to support the development of their different initiatives all year long. (Discover the Cotorco Program for Sea Turtles Conservation in video clicking here)

The hostel El Viajero Cali (Colombia) also supports a local association, in its case it’s “Circus for all.” Students of the association are doing shows at the hostel several times a week, and the hostel pays the foundation for this. This is a great opportunity for students who can practice in front of a real audience and even make international friends staying after the show to talk with hostel’s guests. It is also proposed to travelers to volunteer in the foundation.

Another example is Favela Experience in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All profits that can be generated by the hostel are donated to a local NGO which offer sports and cultural activities for people of the community (favela Vidigal).

Do you know www.visit.org? This is a website that references tourist activities offered by NGOs around the world!

Seen at

Name		Type of facility	Environment	Country	Swap?
	Favela Experience - Vidigal	Activities, Community based tourism, Funds and other organisations, Hostels, Hotels & guest houses	urbain, zone-chaude	Brazil	Yes