One of your Certified Tour Operators is doing something that I don’t think is sustainable, what should I do?

Email us at: [email protected] HEA’s certification is not intended to say that every tour operator is 100% sustainable. What we are doing is helping to identify tour operators that are going above and beyond to try and reduce the impacts of tourism on the natural environment; improve the community in which they work; and share […]

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What best management practices do you base this certification on?

The following sources of information were used to develop the ecotourism certification program: Green Globe 21 International Ecotourism Standard (Green Globe, Asia Pacific) Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (Eco Australia) Sustainable Travel and Ecotourism Program (Sustainable Travel International) A Simple Users’ Guide to Certification for Sustainable and Ecotourism (TIES, Rain Forrest Alliance, CREST) Global Sustainable […]

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What is Sustainable Tourism?

Sustainable Tourism is defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. The Hawaii Tourism Authority defines it as a way to maximize social and economic benefits to […]

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How does STAH authenticate Hawaiian culture?

While STAH does work with local cultural practitioners to integrate Hawaii’s host culture into our programs, we do not intend to be the authority. Certification requires that each tour operator provide credible references for the cultural material they share with visitors.

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What is Ecotourism?

The Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaii defines ecotourism as nature and culture based tourism that is ecologically sustainable and supports the well being of local communities.

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