What benefits are in it for residents?

As a part of certification, it is a minimum requirement for all tour operators to ANNUALLY participate in at least TWO community service projects AND TWO natural resource protection/restoration projects. Tour operators must demonstrate a commitment to serving Hawaii and the community in which they operate.

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Our company offers multiple tours, how does certification work with that?

No, Evaluations are conducted on only one tour, with an emphasis on the tour that offers the most narrative along the way. Certification focuses mostly on management practices, the tour evaluation is conducted to ensure those practices are actually put into place. HOWEVER, if a company markets their different tours under different names, we do […]

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What are the benefits of certification?

See our Benefits of Certification page for the most up to date list of benefits.

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How long does it take to get certified?

Generally certification takes approximately 4-6 weeks to complete. Generally, the longest portion is the self-evaluation checklist. Many tour operators begin to see easy areas for improvement as they work through the checklist and therefore the time to complete varies. Once STAH receives a completed checklist, it is assigned to an Evaluator who will then schedule […]

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Who can use the certification seal of approval?

Tour operators who complete the certification process and are awarded STAH’s seal of approval are eligible to use the seal for a two year period. They can also utilize the STAH logo too. After two years, the tour operator must complete re-certification or remove the seal from their marketing materials. To avoid Greenwashing, non-certified tour […]

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Who is eligible for certification?

Tour operators principally engage in activities which involve guided excursions for the purpose of engaging Hawaii’s natural environment and/or cultural resources.

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One of your Certified Tour Operators is doing something that I don’t think is sustainable, what should I do?

Email us at: [email protected] HEA’s certification is not intended to say that every tour operator is 100% sustainable. What we are doing is helping to identify tour operators that are going above and beyond to try and reduce the impacts of tourism on the natural environment; improve the community in which they work; and share […]

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What best management practices do you base this certification on?

The following sources of information were used to develop the ecotourism certification program: Green Globe 21 International Ecotourism Standard (Green Globe, Asia Pacific) Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (Eco Australia) Sustainable Travel and Ecotourism Program (Sustainable Travel International) A Simple Users’ Guide to Certification for Sustainable and Ecotourism (TIES, Rain Forrest Alliance, CREST) Global Sustainable […]

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What is Sustainable Tourism?

Sustainable Tourism is defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. The Hawaii Tourism Authority defines it as a way to maximize social and economic benefits to […]

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How does STAH authenticate Hawaiian culture?

While STAH does work with local cultural practitioners to integrate Hawaii’s host culture into our programs, we do not intend to be the authority. Certification requires that each tour operator provide credible references for the cultural material they share with visitors.

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