A Swiss expat makes Christmas merry for the impoverished children of Puerto Viejo de Limon while helping to get the companies sustainable certification. Kimberly Beck, who writes occasionally for an English newspaper in Costa Rica, has interviewed our general manager, Nina Neidhart, about the Christmas activity Gecko has hosted for children in Puerto Viejo. Soccer balls aren’t the easiest thing to wrap as gifts the fifteen employees of Gecko Trail Adventures, the travel agency based out of Puerto Viejo in Limon, found out this week. Gecko Trail donated $100 for food and games, planned and held a Christmas party for fifteen of Puerto Viejo’s most impoverished children, aged 5 -12. The company employee’s each drew the name of a child, whose name was furnished by the local primary school, to invite to the party and to give a gift to for the Christmas holiday. This type of event also helps Gecko Trail to fulfill some requirements to get their Certification for Sustainable Tourism via the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) or the Costa Rica Tourism Institute. The ICT helps to promote companies that achieve this certification. Tourism operators get badges for their websites, links from visitcostarica the official ICT website and reduced registration fees to participate in international fairs. The ICT defines sustainable tourism as - The balanced interaction between the use of our natural and cultural resources, the improvement of the quality of life among the local communities, and the economic success of the industry, which also contributes to national development. Sustainable tourism is not only a response to demand, but also an imperative condition to successfully compete now and in the future. Nina Neidhart, Gecko’s General Manager said “This type of community involvement helps both our business and the children of the area. The Gecko Trail employees put the entire event together which gives them experience in organizing events within their own community and the children get too see that going to work can be fun too.” Ms. Neidhart also adds “our employees agreed that the gifts for the children would not be guns or be battery powered. Batteries may not be disposed of properly after use.”
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:55:17 +0000
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