Ecotourism in Costa Rica
[2] While Costa Rica has gained immense popularity for its development of a successful, yet environmentally friendly, ecotourism industry, environmentalists and economists alike debate whether an economy centered on tourism produces more good than harm.
The publications generated by of these biologists, coupled with a more aggressive campaign by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), soon led to a growing group of "nature tourists."
[11] Due to Costa Rica’s position on the world stage, a significant amount of the nation's success in the ecotourism sector can be attributed to its proximity to the United States.
[3] Expatriate American entrepreneurs such as Jim Damalas, Jack Ewing and Michael Kaye were also prominent in building the sector during the late twentieth century.
[17] Unfortunately, it cannot be said that all citizens feel as though they have reaped the benefits of a successful economy, as some Costa Ricans “view the growth of tourism as the ‘kidnapping of a nation’ in which they have no say or opportunities to get involved".
In the initial stages of ecotourism in Costa Rica, all stakeholders benefitted from this type of tourism and attention was being paid to the conservation of nature because of the amount of money that was flowing into the country as a result of it.
Logging in these areas is often hard to detect or prevent leading some to argue that Costa Rica's natural resources are protected only on paper” (Dulude, 2000).
For example, “a visit to the Carara Biological Reserve entails not only a $15 entrance fee and possible additional donation, but also a flight into San José's International Airport, a bus ride to the park, a stay in a local hotel, dining in the town's restaurants, and the purchase of souvenirs from street vendors” (TED).
Therefore, as many Latin American nations are losing jobs and revenue to falling coffee prices caused by an influx of cheaper Asian brands into the market, Costa Rica has managed to stay afloat with this increase in domestic consumption.
[21] Ecotourism in Costa Rica has also helped “diversity the national economy, which previously depended upon the exportation of a few agricultural products, namely coffee, bananas, meat, and sugar, for 65% of its exports.” Like many countries in Central America, Costa Rica's small internal market and scarcity of raw materials make industrialization a slow and difficult process without much room for expansion.
The widespread involvement of foreign investors can lead to a leakage problem in which the profits earned by the tourism sector do not stay in the country (Hicks, 2001).
This case has been seen to unfold in Costa Rica, where investment is low but new infrastructure is needed, leaving the government no other choice but to resort to foreign aid.
[3] There is no standard set of guidelines for ecotourism; it is vital that the government of Costa Rica works alongside certification programs to ensure a prosperous environment and economy for the sake of the nation’s future.
[23] To illustrate, “the lack of certification poses a significant problem, for it means that ecolodges and other establishments are not answerable as far as the extent and success of their environmental efforts.
Recycling programs, promotion of low-impact tourist activities, and support for conservation efforts are entirely voluntary once minimum existing environmental standards have been met”.
