NatureAir Joins World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
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Travel & Leisure > Aviation
Dec 4, 2007
Alexi Huntley
NatureAir Joins World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
New York (Nov. 28, 2007) ? NatureAir announced today that it has joined the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (WHA) as a partner. The WHA is an industry-leading initiative; it was founded by Expedia, Inc. and the United Nations Foundation, to support UNESCO?s goal of promoting and protecting the 851 World Heritage sites around the world.
?NatureAir became carbon neutral three years ago and joining the WHA is very important to NatureAir, because as an airline - we are the link between destinations of origin and those of WHA sites and parks. The fact that the aerial link is also sustainable and supporting the destination creates a true sustainable package,? says NatureAir Founder and CEO, Alex Khajavi.
NatureAir voluntarily compensates 100% of its carbon emissions, through its preservation of tropical forests. In 2006 NatureAir was able to offset 6,320 tons of carbon output, and to date more than 65 acres of forests have been preserved. The land is protected because of the funds NatureAir commits to local landowners. In addition, NatureAir keeps their carbon output down by improvements made in their operations, scheduling and flight plans.
?We?re pleased to have NatureAir joining the partnership,? said Erika Harms, executive director of the World Heritage Alliance. ?Together we have the power to reach millions of people around the world and help both preserve and protect some of the world?s most beautiful and significant sites.?
By the end of 2007, there will be 52 members and partners of the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism ? up from 17 in 2006 including, Expedia Inc. and the UN Foundation. These members and partners will be working in 7 countries to aid in the conservation of at least 20 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
All WHA members were recognized this week at a series of events in New York, including a dinner and symposium discussing important issues related to World Heritage and sustainable tourism.
The WHA offers two levels of partnership, each being committed to advancing the WHA mission: WHA members and WHA associate partners. WHA members consist of travel industry companies, such as hotels, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and cruises, among others. WHA associate partners are NGOs, civil society groups, government bodies, industry associations and other organizations that may not exclusively be devoted to tourism.
Each WHA member is committed to:
? Implementing the World Heritage Alliance principles, a set of guidelines developed in consultation between the UN Foundation, Expedia, UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic that foster greater attention to social, cultural and environmental sustainability within their business.
? Participating in staff training programs by enrolling staff in occasional in-person or online training courses organized by the WHA that educate about the key issues related to World Heritage and sustainable tourism.
? Educating the traveling public about World Heritage by providing informational materials, exclusive packages to World Heritage destinations, volunteer opportunities with local communities, and the ability for customers to purchase goods and services that are rooted in local cultures and environments.
? Supporting community development around World Heritage sites by working with local communities to build and enhance sustainable tourism opportunities for travelers and to provide markets for locally produced sustainable goods and services.
? Engaging employees to support the local community through WHA volunteer programs and other opportunities that allow employees to work side-by-side with community-based initiatives.
? Supporting the United Nations in its efforts to encourage sustainable tourism and the protection of World Heritage sites through the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
About NatureAir
Since its inception in 2000, NatureAir has grown from flying 18,000 passengers annually to more than 150,000 in 2007. The company got its start with one plane and 17 employees. Now it has a fleet of eight planes and more than 150 employees. It?s the only twin-engine airline in Costa Rica with both scheduled and chartered flights, and offers 74 daily flights to 17 destinations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. For more information visit:
Costa Rica Vacation Travel and Airline Flights on Nature Air
About the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
The World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (WHA) works to support World Heritage conservation, sustainable tourism, and local economic development for communities in and around World Heritage sites. The WHA for sustainable tourism was founded by the UN Foundation and Expedia in the fall of 2005 to support UNESCO?s goal of promoting and protecting World Heritage sites.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world?s leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides wholesale travel to offline retail travel agents and in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travelers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com?, hotels.com?, Hotwire?, Expedia? Corporate Travel, TripAdvisor?, Expedia Local Expert?, Classic Vacations? and eLong?. Expedia, Inc.?s companies operate more than 50 global points of sale with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. was recently added to the S&P 500 index. NASDAQ: EXPE).
About the UN Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner?s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world?s most pressing problems, and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity.
About the World Heritage Centre
The World Heritage Centre is the focal point and coordinator within the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for all matters related to World Heritage. It acts as the Secretariat of the World Heritage Committee, organizing its statutory meetings, developing and proposing policy on its behalf and actively ensuring the implementation of activities in accordance with its decisions and in co-operation with the States Parties and the Advisory Bodies (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN). It provides advice to States Parties on the preparation of Tentative Lists and nominations to the World Heritage List and assures their receipt, registration, archiving and transmission to ICOMOS and/or IUCN. It also coordinates studies and activities in support of the Global Strategy for a balanced, representative and credible World Heritage List. The Centre organizes International Assistance from the World Heritage Fund, coordinates the Periodic Reporting exercise and reactive monitoring on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties as well as the emergency action undertaken when a property is threatened. It organizes technical seminars and workshops, and updates the World Heritage List and database, and promotes the World Heritage Convention to the general public.
The World Heritage Centre coordinates its activities with those of other multilateral cultural and environmental agreements, UNESCO cultural and natural heritage conventions and recommendations, to ensure complementarily and synergy. The Centre also identifies and implements regional and thematic programmes, and mobilizes additional financial and technical resources to ensure the conservation and management of World Heritage properties in partnership with other UN agencies, development banks, conservation NGOs, research institutions, foundations and the corporate sector.
Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Classic Vacations is either a trademark or registered trademark of Classic Vacations, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotwire is either a trademark or registered trademark of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. TripAdvisor is either a trademark or registered trademark of TripAdvisor, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.
? 2007 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-40 Alexi Huntley is the Anthropologist and Marketing Director of Naturegate, a nature based tourism consulting group creating destinations for rare experiences. He is also the sales and marketing director for Nature Air, the Costa Rica airline that has become the premier Central America airline for adventure travel, luxury vacations and eco tours. send email to Alexi Huntley
?NatureAir became carbon neutral three years ago and joining the WHA is very important to NatureAir, because as an airline - we are the link between destinations of origin and those of WHA sites and parks. The fact that the aerial link is also sustainable and supporting the destination creates a true sustainable package,? says NatureAir Founder and CEO, Alex Khajavi.
NatureAir voluntarily compensates 100% of its carbon emissions, through its preservation of tropical forests. In 2006 NatureAir was able to offset 6,320 tons of carbon output, and to date more than 65 acres of forests have been preserved. The land is protected because of the funds NatureAir commits to local landowners. In addition, NatureAir keeps their carbon output down by improvements made in their operations, scheduling and flight plans.
?We?re pleased to have NatureAir joining the partnership,? said Erika Harms, executive director of the World Heritage Alliance. ?Together we have the power to reach millions of people around the world and help both preserve and protect some of the world?s most beautiful and significant sites.?
By the end of 2007, there will be 52 members and partners of the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism ? up from 17 in 2006 including, Expedia Inc. and the UN Foundation. These members and partners will be working in 7 countries to aid in the conservation of at least 20 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
All WHA members were recognized this week at a series of events in New York, including a dinner and symposium discussing important issues related to World Heritage and sustainable tourism.
The WHA offers two levels of partnership, each being committed to advancing the WHA mission: WHA members and WHA associate partners. WHA members consist of travel industry companies, such as hotels, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and cruises, among others. WHA associate partners are NGOs, civil society groups, government bodies, industry associations and other organizations that may not exclusively be devoted to tourism.
Each WHA member is committed to:
? Implementing the World Heritage Alliance principles, a set of guidelines developed in consultation between the UN Foundation, Expedia, UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic that foster greater attention to social, cultural and environmental sustainability within their business.
? Participating in staff training programs by enrolling staff in occasional in-person or online training courses organized by the WHA that educate about the key issues related to World Heritage and sustainable tourism.
? Educating the traveling public about World Heritage by providing informational materials, exclusive packages to World Heritage destinations, volunteer opportunities with local communities, and the ability for customers to purchase goods and services that are rooted in local cultures and environments.
? Supporting community development around World Heritage sites by working with local communities to build and enhance sustainable tourism opportunities for travelers and to provide markets for locally produced sustainable goods and services.
? Engaging employees to support the local community through WHA volunteer programs and other opportunities that allow employees to work side-by-side with community-based initiatives.
? Supporting the United Nations in its efforts to encourage sustainable tourism and the protection of World Heritage sites through the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
About NatureAir
Since its inception in 2000, NatureAir has grown from flying 18,000 passengers annually to more than 150,000 in 2007. The company got its start with one plane and 17 employees. Now it has a fleet of eight planes and more than 150 employees. It?s the only twin-engine airline in Costa Rica with both scheduled and chartered flights, and offers 74 daily flights to 17 destinations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. For more information visit:
Costa Rica Vacation Travel and Airline Flights on Nature Air
About the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
The World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (WHA) works to support World Heritage conservation, sustainable tourism, and local economic development for communities in and around World Heritage sites. The WHA for sustainable tourism was founded by the UN Foundation and Expedia in the fall of 2005 to support UNESCO?s goal of promoting and protecting World Heritage sites.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world?s leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides wholesale travel to offline retail travel agents and in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travelers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com?, hotels.com?, Hotwire?, Expedia? Corporate Travel, TripAdvisor?, Expedia Local Expert?, Classic Vacations? and eLong?. Expedia, Inc.?s companies operate more than 50 global points of sale with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. was recently added to the S&P 500 index. NASDAQ: EXPE).
About the UN Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner?s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world?s most pressing problems, and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity.
About the World Heritage Centre
The World Heritage Centre is the focal point and coordinator within the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for all matters related to World Heritage. It acts as the Secretariat of the World Heritage Committee, organizing its statutory meetings, developing and proposing policy on its behalf and actively ensuring the implementation of activities in accordance with its decisions and in co-operation with the States Parties and the Advisory Bodies (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN). It provides advice to States Parties on the preparation of Tentative Lists and nominations to the World Heritage List and assures their receipt, registration, archiving and transmission to ICOMOS and/or IUCN. It also coordinates studies and activities in support of the Global Strategy for a balanced, representative and credible World Heritage List. The Centre organizes International Assistance from the World Heritage Fund, coordinates the Periodic Reporting exercise and reactive monitoring on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties as well as the emergency action undertaken when a property is threatened. It organizes technical seminars and workshops, and updates the World Heritage List and database, and promotes the World Heritage Convention to the general public.
The World Heritage Centre coordinates its activities with those of other multilateral cultural and environmental agreements, UNESCO cultural and natural heritage conventions and recommendations, to ensure complementarily and synergy. The Centre also identifies and implements regional and thematic programmes, and mobilizes additional financial and technical resources to ensure the conservation and management of World Heritage properties in partnership with other UN agencies, development banks, conservation NGOs, research institutions, foundations and the corporate sector.
Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Classic Vacations is either a trademark or registered trademark of Classic Vacations, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotwire is either a trademark or registered trademark of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. TripAdvisor is either a trademark or registered trademark of TripAdvisor, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.
? 2007 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-40 Alexi Huntley is the Anthropologist and Marketing Director of Naturegate, a nature based tourism consulting group creating destinations for rare experiences. He is also the sales and marketing director for Nature Air, the Costa Rica airline that has become the premier Central America airline for adventure travel, luxury vacations and eco tours. send email to Alexi Huntley
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