Citibank, Rainforest Alliance Help Small, Medium Hotels

Owners of small and medium hotels working toward sustainable tourism practices can count on Citibank Costa Rica for help, thanks to an alliance between the banking business and the nonprofit conservation organization Rainforest Alliance, according to a statement from the latter.

Citigroup’s Foundation recently donated $150,000 to the Rainforest Alliance to help sustainable tourism projects around Central America.

In Panama and Guatemala, the funds will be used for forestation projects, while in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Ecuador they will go toward sustainable tourism efforts.

In Costa Rica, the donation will allow 740 employees of small and medium hotels to participate in workshops to learn sustainable tourism practices. It will also be used to diagnose the hotels’ practices.

“We believe that the financial industry should provide environmentally responsible products and services, which ultimately translate to consumers,” said Citibank Costa Rica Manager Jorge Mora. “We’re committing to finding tools to allow us to achieve this goal.”

Citibank has provided corporate banking services in Costa Rica since 1968.