Costa Rica

Madeline Cowan
Current State of Tourism Development
❖ Costa Rica is one of the most highly valued tourist destinations in the world
➢ Something for everyone: impressive scenic beauty, a consolidated system of protected areas,
social and political stability, high educational levels, and efficient infrastructure and services
➢ Medical Tourism
■ about 200 medical procedures are performed every month in the nation's hospitals for
medical tourists (Costa Rica Tourism Board)
■ Attractive to international patients because of low prices, high standards of care, and
access to tourist attractions
❖ Recently launched its new “Only the Essentials” campaign
➢ Targeted towards North Americans
➢ Seeks to expose the true essentials of enjoying life
■ Direct Experiences
■ Nature
■ Sharing
■ Culture
➢ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn6qgfTmsyA
Certification for
Sustainable Tourism
❖ Originally developed by the Sustainability
Programs Department of the Costa Rican
Tourism Board and the Costa Rica
National Accreditation Commission to
ensure tourism sector businesses follow
the sustainable model of natural, cultural,
and communal reserve management
➢ Implemented 4 years ago
➢ Sustainability is more than just a
practice in Costa Rica, it is a way of
life
“The main purpose of the CST is to turn the
concept of sustainability into something real,
practical, and necessary in the context of
tourism competitiveness in the country,
trying to improve the way in which natural
and social resources are used, promote an
active participation of local communities, and
provide a new support for the
competitiveness of the entrepreneurial
sector.”
(Costa Rican Tourism Institute)
Economic Impact of Tourism
Economic Impacts of Tourism
❖ Tourism is Costa Rica’s main source of “Tourism is one of the main engines of
the Costa Rican economy that the
income and hard currency, responsible
for over 8.2% of the country’s GDP
➢ Main source of income for thousands of Government wishes to promote and
continue generating new jobs, growth,
families
❖ Receives over 1.7 million tourists a year
(mostly from the USA and Canada) and well-being for the country”
❖ Earnings from tourism amount to more
than 1.7 billion USD per year -Carlos Alvarado, President of Costa Rica
Cultural Impact of Tourism
Cultural Impacts of Tourism
❖ Tourists strong interest in Costa Rican culture helps maintain and rescue local culture and
tradition
❖ Locals are proud to live among and protect the country’s rich environment
❖ Rural Tourism has created job opportunities for those who used to migrate to the city in search
of jobs (ex. Indigenous Reserves)
❖ Negative Impacts include: foreigners buying land to build large hotels, golf courses,
condominiums, etc.
➢ Takes valuable resources from locals such as land and water
➢ Leads to privatization of beaches (illegal in Costa Rica)
Environmental Impact of Tourism
Environmental Impacts of Tourism
❖ Despite the country’s small size, Costa Rica holds 5% of the world’s land-based biodiversity and
3.5% of its marine life
➢ Protected by the National System of Conservation Areas, preserving a total of 25% of the
national territory
➢ Tourists can explore volcanoes, Pacific and Caribbean beaches, tropical dry, wet, and rain
forests, and jungle landscapes, all without traveling long distances.
■ Major Ecotourism destination
❖ A Global leader in Sustainable practices
➢ Produces nearly 93 % of its electricity from renewable resources
■ In 2017 it broke its own record by running for 300 days solely on energy from
renewable sources
■ By 2021, Costa Rica hopes to be the first carbon neutral country and to completely
eliminate single use plastics
Environmental Impacts of Tourism (continued)
❖ Unfortunately, the environment almost always suffers due to the
consequences of tourism
➢ Increased pollution & waste
➢ However tourism, has created job positions for those who used to depend on hunting, wood
extraction; mining, etc
■ instead of hunting some have established animal rescue centers, instead of killing the
sea turtles and selling their eggs they protect them to ensure more visitation to the
area
Sources
❖ https://news.co.cr/positive-effects-tourism-costa-rica/61469/
❖ https://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/blogs/sergiocueto89gmailcom/negative-impact-tourism-cost
a-rica#sthash.942COpP6.WKLm2miF.dpbs
❖ https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/sustainability
❖ https://thecostaricanews.com/costa-ricas-tourism-board-launches-only-the-essentials-campaign/
❖ http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/14
❖ https://www.adventuresportsnetwork.com/outdoor/nature/costa-rica-breaks-own-record-runs-entirely-
on-renewable-energy-for-300-days/
❖ https://www.adventuresportsnetwork.com/environment/costa-rica-paving-way-sustainable-tourism/