Projects > Certification Handbooks

CESD has produced a series of how-to handbooks, in English and Spanish, designed to assist certification programs, sustainable tourism and ecotourism businesses, NGOs, governments, development agencies, and others involved in 'green' tourism certification initiatives. This collection is designed to help certification practitioners and interested supporters advance tourism certification so that it becomes a useful and reliable tool for travel consumers and businesses.

These guides contain practical information and advice on how tourism certification works, what funding mechanisms and resources can assist businesses seeking certification, how to effectively market both certified businesses and certification programs, and what steps certification programs should take to achieve financial stability. Aimee Russillo and Martha Honey served as editors for this series; each handbook had a primary author, and the contents were reviewed by a panel of international experts.

These handbooks are free and can be downloaded and printed, or read on-line. They contain live links to a range of other studies and certification programs.

The handbooks are based upon four years of research and a series of studies carried out as part of the Rainforest Alliance's certification and best practices project in Latin America. While particularly relevant to the Americas, the handbooks incorporate research and examples from around the world, as well as lessons learned from certification programs in other industries. The Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund (IDB-MIF) provided the funding for the handbooks.

CESD welcomes your comments on these handbooks. Please send feedback to Katie at staff@ecotourismcesd.org.

English Versions:

Handbook 1: A Simple User's Guide to Certification for Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism (PDF)
Handbook 2: Practical Steps for Funding Certification of Tourism Businesses (PDF)
Handbook 3: Practical Steps for Marketing Tourism Certification (PDF)
Handbook 4: Financing Tourism Certification Programs (PDF)

Spanish Versions:

Manual 1: Una Guia Simple para la Certificacion del Turismo Sostenible y el Ecoturismo (PDF)
Manual 2: Practicos para Financiar la Certificacion de Empresas Turisticas (PDF)
Manual 3: Pasos practicos para Mercadear la Certification Turistica (PDF)
Manual 4: Financiamiento de Programas de Certificacion (PDF)