Turismo Sostenible CST: Certificación para la Sostenibilidad Turística en Costa Rica

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About CST

CST Glossary

CST

The Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) is a program that belongs to the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), designed to categorize and differentiate tourism companies according to the degree to which its operations relate to the sustainable model. Companies receive a grade, not in stars, but in "levels" of sustainability. The CST established a classification system called the LEVELS OF SUSTAINABILITY. The levels are set on a scale of 0 to 5, and each one indicates the relative position of the company in terms of sustainability. LEVEL 1 means that the company has taken the first step in the sustainable process. The following levels correspond to increasingly advanced stages, which end in LEVEL 5, where the company is considered an example in terms of sustainability.

The classification depends on the percentage of positive actions that the company is developing in terms of sustainability. The assessment of these actions is done through the Standard, which assigns points according to the methodology of categorization.

The Standard

It consists of an evaluation questionnaire, the overall assessment and the evaluation of the general perception of the company and its sustainable tourism projects.

Evaluation Questionnaire

The questionnaire for lodging establishments consists of 153 questions, divided into 20 descriptors and 4 areas. The questionnaire for Tour Operator Agencies consists of 108 questions, spread over 28 descriptors and 4 areas. Each one of the questions reflects a positive condition in terms of sustainability; therefore, the actual evaluation seeks to determine what percentage of these positive conditions is being met in a particular company. Besides this, the evaluation includes a GENERAL EVALUATION and a GENERAL PERCEPTION, which is available for both the employer and the evaluator, so that both can refer to positive or negative situations in general that may affect the score of the questionnaire.

Implementation Guide

The guide refers to certain practices to facilitate the implementation of the sustainability measures, in accordance with the CST program, in Lodging Establishments and Tour Operators Agencies. The Guide is not intended to be a policy document, so that it is not the only way that exists to meet the CST requirements. It gives the employer the possibility to design its own strategy to achieve the objective.

General Evaluation

It is the project evaluation, programs or actions of the tourism company, relevant to sustainable tourism, and which results are not reflected in the questionnaire. It refers to active relevant projects or programs, working to support of sustainability. It highlights the objective of the project or program, and provides an accurate report on the results and relevant achievements to date. You can register more than one project, but they must be classified in the different areas that the CST evaluates.

The general assessment should be completed by the general manager of the company. The General Evaluation provides an opportunity to the person in charge of the Accommodation Establishment and Tour Operators Agency to refer or report on projects, programs or specific actions in the area of sustainability, which are going on right now but are not adequately reflected in the evaluation questionnaire.

The General Manager submits the project for consideration to the assessment team, which will then give it a rating according to their criteria. The projects submitted for consideration are evaluated and receive a score between 0 and 3. Whenever it appears that the project is not relevant or that it is already taken into account in the evaluation questionnaire, will receive a score 0.

The scores of 1, 2 and 3 are assigned according to the assessment that the evaluation team makes of the project. During the evaluation, the evaluation form is left in the company to be completed and sent to the group for later evaluation. Also the General Perception Assessment of positive and negative situations, which are affecting each of the areas.

The evaluation team refers to the most relevant positive or negative aspects that they observed during their visit to the company. This is done for each one of the areas and it is complemented only in those areas that the evaluation team thinks appropriate. The factors identified receive a score, which reflects on the final assessment.

General perception chart: Whenever appropriate; it refers to situations that have not been evaluated by the questionnaire, or which importance has not been evaluated in any dimensions. Not necessarily all spaces must be completed; only those which the evaluation team deems necessary.

Score chart: Each one of the items indicated will receive a score of 1 to 3 for the positive aspects, and -1 to -3 for the negative ones. This score should reflect a consensus between the assessment team.

Puntaje

The final score corresponds to the results of the questionnaire, the overall assessment and the general perception, in accordance with the following chart:

1.   PM = Maximum score possible. Number of questions multiplied by the weigh factor.
2.   Si = Number of affirmative answers
3.   EG = General perception. Points earned during the General Evaluation.
4.   PG = General perception. Points earned during the General Percetion Evaluation
5.   Total scroe = The result of adding Si+EG+PG, divided by PM. This score is used in the LEVEL system.

Ponderación

It assigns a relative value on the importance of each question, in the context of the scope and the descriptor. The weighting (poderacion) values vary between 1 and 3, reflecting the degree of importance