Everyone loves to “hit the road!”
Research shows that travelling brings more happiness than acquiring stuff. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) created the Green Passport campaign with the goal of making tourist experiences even more interesting and sustainable.
Rio 2016 joined this cause and took the Green Passport campaign to the heart of these year Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Olympic and Paralympic Games involves much more than organizing sports competitions. It puts Brazil in the spotlight, attracting people of different nationalities and cultures. The Rio 2016 Games Organizing Committee is taking advantage of the power of sport to engage people and using it to spread the message of sustainable tourism.
We bring to spectators simple tips on how to transform tourism into a change engine, encouraging respect for the environment and the local culture. We promote the socioeconomic development of local communities in Rio by giving visibility to their touristic offers and local business.
Rio de Janeiro will host the biggest event in the world. The cariocas are considered a very hospitable people and this is the time of delight travelers. It will be almost two months of active sports competitions with an interval of 15 days between the Olympic and Paralympic Games. During this period, we are encouraging tourists to try out authentic experiences in one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
By supporting the Green Passport campaign, Rio 2016 fulfill SDG objectives, as follows:
– Foster economic growth through sustainable tourism, generating jobs and the promotion of local culture and its products;
– Promote responsible consumption and production, by encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices and lifestyles in harmony with nature;
– Support “Life on Earth” that guarantees the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and their services.
Get to know some of the authentic experiences in the Marvelous City
The Green Passport authentic experiences propose a new way to choose destinations. We invite tourists to explore the city through experiences that enable contact with nature and supports community base tourism initiative and local environmental projects.
The suggestions include gastronomy experiences; contact with local culture traditions; world heritage sites; ecotourism and adventure tourism in national parks; walks through the city. The Green Passport also encourages the use of bicycles and public transport. Download the Green Passport app (for iOS and Android) and take care of your destination!
“Making more sustainable choices when planning and enjoying vacations favors the adoption of new habits. When we are travelling, we have a unique opportunity to get out of our routine. The Green Passport proposal is to use that unique moment in time to have authentic experiences and to adopt simple gestures that reduces our tourism footprint. We hope that many will join this call to action and feel inspired to adopt a more sustainability life style” explains Tânia Braga, Head of Sustainability of Rio 2016.
Following the campaign motto “I take care of my destination” the authentic experiences shared by the Green Passport contributes to income generation in host communities, provide opportunities for the exchange of social and cultural experiences, and allow tourists to see the city from another point of view.
Taking on a voluntary commitment
Through the Green Passport, hotels and touristic attractions are encouraged to adopt more sustainable practices. They commit with voluntary sustainability targets by publishing a self-evaluation form on the website of the campaign. Click here to know more about this initiative.
Visit the www.passaporteverde.org.br
