Recommend December 2013 - (Page 67)
operators, transportation companies-participation of its travel
industry in the Certification of Sustainable Tourism (CST) program.
Recommend asked Rolando Campos, sales director of San
Jose-based Swiss Travel, how having a CST rating changes a tour
operator's way of delivering services. "Following the approximately
2-year certification process, great value was added to our operations,"
he says. "We now offer our visitors far more information
that improves the quality of their experiences, from sociocultural
background to environmental tips, and the activities themselves
have changed to incorporate the social and environmental issues of
specific communities and the country in general." Perhaps there's
a link between Costa Rica's strong commitment to sustainable
tourism and the country's highest rate of satisfied, repeat travelers
in Central America.
U.S. tour operators not only recognize a sustainability trend but
they support it fully because they believe in "going green." With
Culture Xplorers (culturexplorers.com), five-time winner of Conde
Nast Traveler's "Trips of a Lifetime Award," the road to sustainable
travel leads to its sole product: small-group (10 passengers) and
tailor-made tours that will, according to company president Jim
Kane, "whet your appetite, travel deeply, extend your experience,
make a difference, tread lightly." This interviewer had a further
question: "You have a fascinating brand of touring, chock-full of
authentic elements. Is the market growing for your kind of travel?"
Kane responds, "Yes, I think this style of travel is definitely growing
in demand. Travelers are looking for experiences that will draw
them below the surface of a place and connect them with local
people and rich living traditions in an engaging and natural way." In
the Americas, have a look at Culture Xplorers' programs in Peru,
Guatemala, Cuba, Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico.
enriching experiences
Latin America travel planners are paying special attention to that
buzz phrase, "experiential travel" and coming up with creative ways
to meet demands for authentic and enriching vacations. But have
you noticed that the biggest boom in traveler-enrichment experiences
seem focused on food, food, and more food: discovering
local markets, visiting coffee and chocolate estates, joining cooking
seminars, sampling farm-to-fork immersion in regional cuisine, or
on a different track, dining at starred restaurants and meeting or
cooking with local chefs. Consider just this soupcon of culinary
travel-flavored programs.
Clients can now discover Argentina's gastronomy renaissance
with Zicasso Travel (zicassotravel.com) on an 11-day custom
food and wine vacation, tasting one's way from Buenos Aires
to Bariloche and the wine country of Mendoza. Travelers have
the chance to shop in local food markets, participate in classes
featuring authentic Argentine dishes, enjoy home-cooked meals
with local families, discover great wines, and meet with chefs who
are re-creating a national cuisine based on sourcing locally grown
ingredients.
New to the foodie travel table is Costa Rica, now covered by
Latin American Escapes (latinamericanescapes.com) in a 7-day
Costa Rica Culinary Adventure, mixing nature and adventure with a
coffee, cheese and chocolate extravaganza. Stays at Finca Rosa
Blanca Coffee Plantation & Resort and Monte Azul Art Resort
also include culinary activities such as cooking workshops, market
visits, farm-to-table tours and mouthwatering dining.
In Guatemala, Viaventure (viaventure.com) takes adventurouseating
clients on a Street Eats tour that introduces Antigua's street
food hotspots; in a special workshop, they learn about the chocolate-making
process by making their own chocolate from scratch;
and in the traditional San Jorge La Laguna Maya community at Lake
Atitlan, they join a local guide to go to the colonial church, learn
about traditional dress, explore sacred caves, and for a grand finale,
help make tortillas before sitting down to lunch with a local family.
Ladatco Tours (ladatco.com) has designed culinary tours to four
different countries. Its 14-day Culinary Chile tour, staying at deluxe
hotels, includes a chef's workshop in Santiago, visits to the Santa
Rita vineyards and wine valleys of Cachapoal and Colchagua with
lunches at the wineries, two nights in Valparaiso including meal
preparation with a local chef, four nights at Cliffs Preserve, an ecoretreat
and private preserve in Patagonia, with culinary activities, bird
and whale watching, horseback riding, spa time and sportfishing.
And no country gets more attention-deserved attention that
is-than Peru. Its roster of famous chefs preparing cuisine, longrecognized
as the continent's best, gleaned Peru this year's World
Travel Award as South America's leading culinary destination. In one
of many tours on the market is Adventure Life's (adventure-life.
com) 8-day Peru Cuisine Tour, visiting Lima (dining around), Cusco
(shopping for and preparing platos tipicos), the Sacred Valley (learning
about sustainable agriculture practices and how to make chicha),
and Machu Picchu, savoring both traditional and NovoAndina dishes
along the way. I highlighted Peru's Lambayeque cuisine In The Road
to Ruins: Peru's Northern Kingdoms feature that appeared in the
May 2013 issue, writing that Fiesta Chiclayo Gourmet and Fiesta
Trujillo Gourmet were especially good restaurant choices for gourmands
visiting northern Peru. "Hector Solis is chef and founder of
these gourmet temples...he is particularly famous for his mastery of
seafood, which he serves on hot stones," I noted. ●
edu.recommend.com
The Guatemala Specialist Program, the Panama
Specialist Program and the Costa Rica Specialist
Program 1 offer information on the many activities-from
cultural to active-as well as the varied vacation options
available to your clients in these Central American countries.
The Costa Rica Specialist Program 2, meanwhile, allows
you to gain a thorough understanding of the country's
Certificate for Sustainable Tourism program.
Culture Xplorers offers tours with an authentic flavor
that allow clients to meet with the locals.
http://www.ladatco.com
http://www.culturexplorers.com
http://edu.recommend.com
http://www.zicassotravel.com
http://www.latinamericanescapes.com
http://www.viaventure.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2013
Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Canyon Ranch
Tour Talk: Insight Vacations
17th Annual Recommend Readers' Choice Awards Winners
Cruising 2013
Discovering North America
Caribbean Trends
Anguilla Travel Agent Specialist Program
Asia & The South Pacific in the Rearview Mirror
Mexico 2013
Latin America in 2013 and Beyond
Africa + The Middle East Continue to Make Stides
Nostalgic for Europe
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