Casa Turire obtains 4 "leaves" in the sustainable tourism certification

Hotel Casa Turire, one of the most distinguished hotels in the Turrialba region and member of the exclusive hotel group Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica, is celebrating the fruits of its arduous work, in order to become one of the few luxury boutique hotels in the country, which are committed to sustainable tourism.



Sustainability is a philosophy which needs to be worked on each day; new goals need to be set, ranging from community trainings to large investments in the improvement of the infrastructure in order to use electricity and water as efficiently as possible. Nevertheless, Hotel Casa Turire hopes to continue strengthening its efforts and remain an excellent example within the Turrialba region.

In order to obtain the certification one needs to prove a balanced development within the 4 areas of evaluation: the interaction of the hotel with its biological surroundings, the dissemination of information to create awareness among guests, the social-economic development of the community as well as the efficiency of its installations.

Some examples of the good practices developed by Casa Turire:

* Recycling Program - This is a process of separation of wastes, including organic waste from the hotel and farm are treated to convert into organic compost.

* Local and sports sponsorships as well as organizing activities for educational and social boards that give support to the community.

* The hotel belong to the Cámara Nacional de Ecología (CANAECO), promoting and supporting the nature conservation and cultural values of the country.

* Hotel has reforestation area (12 hectares) and trails area.

* In our farm we produce a lot of fruits and vegetables that are fertilized using compost that is produced by organic waste to the hotel and farm, besides these products the hotel produces eggs, marmalades, cheese and are used in the kitchen to serve the different dishes that are offered at the restaurant.

* Casa Turire works with Jenaro Bonilla Aguilar School of Turrialba supporting the Ecological Blue Flag Program, giving talks and training to school staff.

For further information, please visit the following websites:

Hotel Casa Turire

or

Small Distinctive Hotels - Casa Turire

Sustainable Tourism at Small Distinctive Hotels

Sustainability is defined by the Costa Rican National Board for Tourism (ICT) as a “balanced interaction between the use of our natural and cultural resources, the improvement of the quality of life among local communities,

and the economic success of the industry, which also contributes to national development (…)”

At Small Distinctive Hotels we are aware of the fact that we depend on our social and natural environment as much as it depends on us. This awareness is reflected not only in the sustainability projects supported by Small Distinctive Hotels, but also in the numerous sustainability activities undertaken by our members.

Projects supported by the Small Distinctive Hotels Group  
· Casa Luz
· Proparques
· Piensa en Arte 

Moreover, all of our hotels are either in the process of being certified by the renowned national Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) or have already been awarded the CST certification. In fact, Arenas del Mar is one of the rare hotels in Costa Rica which have been awarded the highest possible certification level, which consists of five “leaves”.

Tourism provides a unique opportunity not only for relaxation or adventure, but also for growth. Learning about responsible travel can open one's eyes and make us more aware of the deeper levels of nature, and incorporate these new behaviors upon returning home. We actively encourage this learning process by providing information on
resonsible traveling on our website, as well as how to apply this newly learned information back home. For more information about sustainable tourism at Small Distinctive Hotels, please visit the sustainable tourism section on our website.

Please stay tuned for part two of this sustainable tourism series, where we will be introducing the specific activities undertaken by each of SDH’s member hotels.