Brazil Adopts Sustainable Accommodation Standards
The Brazilian Association for Technical Standards (ABNT) has approved official standards for sustainability in accomodation. These standards were developed in the context of the Brazil Sustainable Tourism Programme (PCTS in Portuguese acronym), which is coordinated by the Instituto de Hospitalidade.
The Programme started at the end of 2002, with a study by ecotourism expert Amos Bien from Costa Rica on the status of tourism certification programs around the world. The initiative promotes adoption of sustainable practices in tourism through standards, training, information, certification and marketing.
The standards involved stakeholder workshops in 6 regions of Brazil, expert and public consultation. They were first published as a Instituto de Hospitalidade standard in 2004, but have now been adopted by the whole country.
This is just one of the faces of the Brazil Sustainable Tourism Programme. Much effort goes into helping destinations and local tourism suppliers to work on the quality and sustainability of their product. The Programme distributes market information, implementation guides and good practice manuals to participants and they can also be downloaded from the program website www.pcts.org.br http://www.pcts.org.br . The Programme has also trained local consultants by destination to work with local companies in short workshops over a course of seven months.
For those interested to know more about sustainable tourism and responsible travel companies in Brazil, an international website was created : http://www.sustainabletourismbrazil.org.br
Certification is voluntary and seeking certification is a marketing decision for individual companies. But there is great interest in Brazil as some of these numbers show :
more than 40.000 downloads of the standards have been made (since 2004
more than 800 companies have registered to receive more information;
more than 300 companies are participating in an online course;
more than a 100 companies are actively participating in the Program;
9 destinations are already partnering with the Program and the target is 30 destinations.
the Program is a partner and active participant in the Sustainable Tourism Network of the Americas and other international networks;
The Brazil Sustainable Tourism Program promotes adoption of sustainable practices in tourism through standards, training, information, certification and marketing. Coordinated by the Instituto de Hospitalidade (IH), it is designed to enhance the quality of services offered and the boost the competitiveness of small and medium-sized tourism-related business ventures. The program is supported by the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (APEX), the Inter American Development Bank (IADB), the Ministry of Tourism and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) and partners with the Brazilian Council for Sustainable Tourism (CBTS), the Brazilian Hotel Association (ABIH), the Brazilian Bureau for Ecotourism & Brazilian Association for Adventure Travel Companies and works together with other stakeholders in tourism in Brazil.
Valere Tjolle
Valere
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026