Costa Rica Hosted the Annual Planet, People, Peace (P-3) International Sustainable Tourism Conference

Sustainable tourism leaders from across the globe united for the three-day event

San Jose, Costa Rica – November 26, 2013 – Costa Rica, recognized as a global leader in sustainable tourism, successfully hosted the fifth 2013 P-3 (Planet, People, Peace) conference, November 3-6, 2013. The event, which was organized by Costa Rica’s National Ecotourism and Sustainable Chamber (CANAECO) and sponsored by the Costa Rica Tourist Board, took place at the Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura (CCC) in the city of San Jose. More than 200 guests that included a number of dignitaries, tourism leaders, industry professionals, educators and students from across the globe came together to share strategies, best practices, innovations, experiences, challenges and solutions in order to promote and grow the sustainable tourism industry.

Established in 2003, CANAECO, is a private nonprofit organization within the sustainable tourism industry that gathers professionals, educators and institutions from across the globe to create a forum that promotes the widespread of sustainable tourism options. It is the first organization of its kind in Costa Rica that provides global strategies and tactics that advance socioeconomic developments while protecting the natural and cultural heritage of its country.

“Working with CANECO is an extraordinary opportunity to share the latest innovations in sustainability, as well as to develop new programs and methods for improving sustainable tourism offerings to travelers from all over the world,” said Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism Allan Flores. “Since Costa Rica continues to be a world leader in sustainable tourism, we have an ongoing commitment to provide a forum where everyone can share their experiences and best practices with the international community, while we learn about other methods and tactics that are taking place in other parts world”.

Some of this year’s highlighted presenters included:

• Judy Kepher-Gona, executive director of Kenya Land Conservation Trust, Kenya.
• Elizabeth Becker, award-winning author, U.S.
• Tony Charters, environmental scientist, Australia.
• Ingunn Sornes, Special Innovation Advisor, Norway Tourism Board.
• Lawrence Pratt, director of the Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) INCAE Business School (Alajuela, Costa Rica, and Montefresco, Nicaragua).
• Damcho Rinzi, Head of promotion, branding and communications of the Ministry of Tourism of Bhutan, Royal Government of Bhutan.
• Sergio Moreno, associated director for the Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

The P-3 conference presented guests and invited dignitaries, media and industry sponsors with an opportunity to network, and exchange information including marketing strategies, new scientific and technological developments in the sustainable tourism industry. The event further provided the international community within the private and public sectors with the opportunity to, link together with other industry leaders, attend a number of seminars, exhibitions and educational platforms that ultimately lead to the support of sustainable tourism initiatives worldwide.

For more information on the P-3 conference please visit www.planetpeoplepeace.com. For more information on Costa Rica, please visit www.visitcostarica.com.

About Costa Rica

Costa Rica is located in Central America, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. The country has long been a popular tourism, retirement and Spanish education destination for North Americans. Roughly the size of West Virginia, the country shelters approximately five percent of the world’s known biodiversity, with protected areas comprising 26 percent of its land mass.

About Instituto Costarricense de Turismo

The Costa Rica Tourist Board, created in 1955, is an autonomous institution of the State, responsible for regulating the tourism activity in Costa Rica and promoting Costa Rica’s tourism attractions and destinations both at a national and international level. The Costa Rica Tourist Board creates tourism norms, regulations, incentives and grants for the tourist declaratory for Costa Rica’s hotels, travel agencies, rental cars and other tourism organization and service sources.