Riviera Nayarit apuesta por el turismo sostenible

The Mexican Pacific Treasure is a pioneer in the region in national and international certifications, through leading programs in the travel and tourism industry.

Riviera Nayarit seeks to grow as a luxury brand with environmental awareness, which is why it has been a forerunner in the matter of combining unique experiences in unique places, emphasizing sustainable practices, through leading programs in the travel and tourism industry.

Marc Murphy, general director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau, indicated that betting on tourism sustainability is the way to go in this era, and to remain competitive, tourist destinations must adapt to new trends.

"Although the main raison d'être of the Riviera Nayarit CVB is to promote the destination for tourism, it is also a priority to help preserve its natural wealth, since they are the greatest attractions we can offer our visitors," he commented.

In this sense, he added, more and more hotels and tourist service providers offer a responsible and respectful travel experience with the environment and the communities, in response to travelers who are looking for exclusivity, but affecting as little as possible the place they visit.

Following this line, below we present some of the practices in which Riviera Nayarit has ventured, and has even been a pioneer, to care for the ecosystem.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATIONS

Blue Flag: Application of strict environmental, educational, security and accessibility criteria in the management of beaches, marinas and other bodies of water. The first Blue Flag for Riviera Nayarit was received by Playa Nuevo Vallarta Norte in 2013 and since then it has maintained its certification.

EarthCheck: The Fraccionamiento Náutico Turístico Residencial Nuevo Vallarta is certified as EarthCheck Community, the world's leading sustainability program for the travel and tourism industry. Being one of the communities with the largest number of tourists in the Riviera Nayarit, it is important to maintain a solid commitment to care for resources, as well as the protection of the flora and fauna that inhabits this place.

Clean beaches: Riviera Nayarit is one of the national leaders in terms of certified clean beaches (10 in total), a recognition endorsed by the Mexican Institute for Standardization and Certification (IMNC).

CLEANING CAMPAIGNS

Beach Cleaning Network (RLP): It is a unique network of its kind created seven years ago, coordinated by the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (OVC) in conjunction with the Bahía de Banderas Association of Hotels and Motels. Various groups of volunteers from different sectors of society participate in the RLP, such as NGOs, hotels, private companies, authorities and educational establishments, distributed in the coastal towns of the Riviera Nayarit, from Bucerias and Mita's tip until Guayabitos corner and the Island of Mexcaltitán.

Heroes Wanted: In 2015, the Wanted Heroes campaign was launched, a joint venture project between civil associations, authorities and companies, at the initiative of Paralelo 28 in conjunction with the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (OVC) and the Association of Hotels and Motels from Banderas Bay (AHMBB). This campaign has been spearheaded as a conservation model in Protected Natural Areas in the Pacific Northwest, including the Marietas Islands and its world famous Love beach.

Collection of cigarette butts:

A practice that seeks to reduce the presence of waste on beaches, but also pays to protect the country's forest cover, since one ton of cigarette butts when recycled to generate paper is equivalent to not cutting down 17 to 14 trees. The initiative led by the Association of Hotels and Motels of Bahía de Banderas (AHMB), the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Riviera Nayarit Sustainability Committee, had its first edition in November 2020 (Colilla Challenge) with which 18,250 butts were collected and in this first half of the year 27,005 have already been recycled.

Separate account: From April to June 2021, the Riviera Nayarit CVB launched a crusade to help raise awareness about the importance of separating waste, through environmental education talks, environmental fairs, and beach cleanups, among other activities.

REDUCTION OF PLASTICS AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Training actions: Sensitize workers in the tourism sector and tourists themselves about reducing plastics, reducing energy consumption, saving fuels that directly impact the generation of greenhouse gases (GHG) and reducing water consumption.

Likewise, in the Islas Marietas National Park has banned the use of plastics for single use by tourist providers, so no boat should use this type of plastic when making a visit. Every year since 2016, any tour operator who wishes to carry out activities in the protected natural area must comply with a training given by the ANP management, which pays for the training of operators and for the activities to be carried out in a sustainable manner.

Additionally, Riviera Nayarit participates in actions to protect the Marietas Islands and to the Humpback whales, the program of turtle conservation and the protection of national marshes, as well as the species that inhabit it, among others.