CANAECO as a leader in Sustainable Tourism has developed an innovator and exemplar program to motivate travelers to mitigate their impact of air travel: Climate Conscious Traveler (VCC in spanish).

The VCC is the CANAECO’s commitment to the National Strategy of Climate Change and the C-neutrality Goal of Costa Rica for 2021.

The objective of this program is to offer the possibility of compensate the emissions generated by international flights to / from Costa Rica as a commitment to environmental conservation to purveyors in the tourism industry, as well as directly to the tourists who want to use it.

Why did CANAECO decide to develop this initiative?

• Global tourism generates 5% of all the CO2 emissions.

•  51% of the tourists traveling internationally do so via air Travel. (UNWTO)

• Globally, air transport is responsible for 2% of the total emissions of carbon dioxide.

• The emissions generated due to international flights are not considered in the national inventory of the emission of greenhouse gases.

How does this program work?

CANAECO has decided to work with The National Forestry Found (FONAFIFO) in order to make the compensation possible. Through the alliance between CANAECO and FONAFIFO, CANAECO acquires tons of CO2 already absorbed (sequestered tons of CO2), allowing CANAECO to act as a mediator and sell these tons of CO2 using the VCC program and retaining $1 for each $5.

Implementation

• CANAECO will if pass on the requests for compensation from the members of the program to FONAFIFO at a rate of $5.00 per ton of carbon dioxide.

• CANAECO will then transfer these funds along with the respective request to FONAFIFO who will then afterward grant the corresponding certificate.

• CANAECO will be utilize founds in order to create and finance training programs, sustainability projects to give back to the tourism sector for its support.

• The resources that the VCC Program will generate will be invested and applied to farms located in areas with poor social development indicators, indigenous territories, rural communities and areas with high biological diversity and importance. Also to reforestation projects of native species for the fixing of carbon.

How the VCC program is making the difference?

• It is the only program in Costa Rica that compensates the emissions from international flights.

• It supports a solution for compensation of the emissions while confronting the great concern of the international community with respect to the negative effects of climate change for the productive activities of human beings.

• It is voluntary and free, and any interested business can become a member.

• It foments initiatives for reforestation using only native species (and Teak as the only exotic species) for the fixation of carbon and the protection of primary forests for the retention of carbon if in the country.

• It support farms located in areas with poor social development indicators, indigenous territories and rural communities with high biological diversity, natural resources and scenic beauty.

• It has the backing of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT).

• Through the VCC program, CANAECO has become the first strategic partner for FONAFIFO that supports the projects for if avoided deforestation.

• It is a decisive step forward for the tourism sector in its goal to be carbon neutral and is a differentiating element for the country as a responsible tourism destination.

You can make the difference…

Ver video del Programa VCC