NatureAir Named Finalist in the World Travel & Tourism Council Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

(EMAILWIRE.COM, February 19, 2009 ) San Jose, Costa Rica Â–NatureAir, the worldÂ’s first carbon neutral airline, has been selected as one of three finalists in the 2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards conservation category.

This year the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) received a record number of entries from more than 40 countries and six continents.

Â“It is a great honor to be recognized by the WTTC for our efforts in sustainable tourism and conservation. We consider this to be a motivator to continue searching for new ways of doing business that add positive value to the social and environmental environmental challenges we face in the communities we serve,Â” said Alexi Huntley Khajavi, NatureAir Commercial Director.

NatureAir compensates 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions through its preservation and reforestation of tropical forests in southern Costa RicaÂ’s rich biodiversity zones of the Osa Peninsula. Since the projects beginning in 2004 the airline has compensated for nearly 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide though the protection of more than 500 acres of tropical forests. In addition, the companyÂ’s innovative use of bio-diesel (a mix of vegetable oils and recycled cooking oils) is estimated to reduce 160 tones of CO2 emissions per year.

"The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards judging process goes beyond just what a company says it is doing in sustainable tourism. Our next phase of judging involves an on-site expert evaluation of each finalist to assess what they are doing in practice, leading up to the selection of one winner in each category," said Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges.

Since 2003, the WTTCÂ’s prestigious awards recognize best practices in sustainable tourism in four different categories - Destination Stewardship, Conservation, Community Benefit and Global Tourism Business.

The winners from each category will be announced at the 9th Annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Brazil this May.

To learn about NatureAirÂ’s conservation efforts visit its Nature Blog: http://blog.natureair.com/. NatureAir welcomes your questions and comments at its educational, social networking forum.

About NatureAir
NatureAir is the worldÂ’s first certified carbon neutral airline, and the fastest growing regional airline in Central America. Since its inception in 2000, NatureAir has grown from flying 18,000 passengers annually to more than 140,000 in 2008. The company got its start with one plane and 17 employees. Now it has a fleet of eight planes and more than 150 employees. NatureAir is the only twin-engine airline in Costa Rica with both scheduled and chartered flights, and offers 74 daily flights to 17 destinations in Costa Rica, and Panama. The Rainforest Alliance, Conde Nast Traveler and Virgin Holidays have recognized NatureAir for its sustainability efforts, as 100% of its carbon emissions are offset through conservation and reforestation. NatureAir is the exclusive Central American airline for the best hotels and tour operators worldwide. It is known for its award winning on-time performance and its staffÂ’s adventurous spirits. For more information visit: http://www.natureair.com

NatureAir
Alexi Huntley
506 2-299 6043
ahuntley@natureair.com