Tourism in Costa Rica

Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country [cite web |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/diciembre/29/economia0.html |language=Spanish |date=2004-12-29|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=La Nación|title= Turismo, principal motor de la economía durante el 2004 |author=José Enrique Rojas] and by 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner.cite web | url=http://www.iisd.org/susprod/ecotour.pdf|title=Impacts on Developing Countries of Changing Production and Consumption Patterns in Developed Countries: The Case of Ecotourism in Costa Rica|publisher=INCAE, available at "International Institute for Sustainable Development" website|author=Crist Inman|date=1997|accessdate=2008-06-10|language=Inglés] [cite web |url=http://www.asamblea.go.cr/biblio/revista/revista/vol13-no2-ago2005/el%20turismo%20como%20promotor-MarioCalderon.html | publisher=Revista Parlamentaria Digital. Asamblea Legislativa de Costa Rica |title= El Turismo como Promotor del Crecimiento Económico Costarricense |author= Mario Calderón Castillo |language=Spanish |date=2005|accessdate=2008-06-08] Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas, pineapples and coffee combined. The tourism boom began in 1987, with the number of visitors up from 329,000 in 1988, through 1 million in 1999, to 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007, allowing the country to earn $1.9-billion in that year. [cite web|url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/diciembre/19/economia1358245.html|language=Spanish|date=2007-12-19|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=La Nación|title=País cierra el año con llegada de 1,9 millones de turistas|author=Hassel Fallas Translation: Country closes year with the arrival of 1,9 million tourists] In 2005, tourism contributed with 7.9% of the country's GDP, 22.3% of foreign exchange generated by all exports, and was responsible for 13.3% of direct and indirect employment.Cite web | author = Carmen Altés | year = 2006 | title = El Turismo en América Latina y el Caribe y la experiencia del BID| page = 9 and 47| publisher = Inter-American Development Bank; Sustainable Development Department, Technical Paper Series ENV-149, Washington, D.C.|language=Spanish |url=http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=984876|accessdate=2008-06-05]

Since the late 1980s Costa Rica became a popular nature travel destination, and its main competitive advantage is its well-established system of national parks and protected areas,cite web|url=http://www.yorku.ca/lasnubes/reseach_paper/paper/papers/monica%20vasquez.pdf|author=Mónica Vásquez Muñoz|title=Tourism and Conservation in Southern Costa Rica|publisher=York University|date=2002|accessdate=2008-06-11|language=] covering around 23,4% of the country's land area, [cite web |url=http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/bio_cou_188.pdf | publisher= World Resources Institute |title= Biodiversity and Protected Areas - Costa Rica |author= Earth Trends |language= |date=2003 |accessdate=2008-06-08] the largest in the world as a percentage of the country's territory, [cite web |url=http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/protected_areas/ | publisher= World Headquarters|title=Costa Rica National Parks and Reserves |author= |language= |date=2007|accessdate=2008-06-08] [cite web |url=http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/desenvolvimento/conteudo_280147.shtml?func=2 | publisher= Revista Veja|title=O desafio da economia verde |author= Leonardo Coutinho and Otávio Cabral |language=Portuguese |date=2008-05-21|accessdate=2008-06-08 Published on website "Planeta Sustentável"] and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, in a country that has only 0.03% of the world's landmass, but that is estimated to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity.cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/may/26/saturday.costarica | publisher=The Guardian |title= Shades of green |author= Leo Hickman |language= |date=2007-05-26|accessdate=2008-06-08|] Citation | last = Honey | first = Martha | year = 1999 | title = Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?| page = 128-181| publisher = Island Press; 1 edition , Washington, D.C. | id = ISBN 1-55963-582-7 | language=Inglés Chapter 5. Costa Rica: On the Beaten Path] The country also has plenty of beaches, both in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, within short travel distances, and also several volcanoes that can be visited with safety. By the early 1990s, Costa Rica became to be known as the poster child of ecotourism, with tourist arrivals reaching an average annual growth rate of 14% between 1986 to 1994.cite web|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r1646040x5032177/|author=Bruce Aylward "et al".|title=Sustainable ecotourism in Costa Rica: the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve |date=1996|publisher=Biodiversity and Conservation vol 5, no. 3, 315-343|language= ]

Description and key statistics

* Notes: Green shadow denotes the country with the top indicator. Yellow shadow corresponds to Costa Rica's.
* (1) WTO data for Barbados marked with * corresponds to 2006.

Ecotourism

[
Manuel Antonio National Park is well known for its four beaches combined with sights of natural beauty, Quepos Puntarenas.]
Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism. As of 2006, a total of 54% international tourists visited national parks or protected areas, visiting at least two such natural refuges, and it goes up to three for European visitors.cite web|url=http://www.visitcostarica.com/ict/paginas/modEst/estudios_estadisticas.asp?idIdioma=2 |year=2006 |publisher=Instituto Costarricense de Turismo|accessdate=2008-06-06|language=Spanish|title=Informe de Encuestas IV Trimestre 2006. Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaria 2006 Annual Survey from the Costa Rican Board of Tourism (ICT)]

The "Bandera Azul" Program

Implemented in 1996 and inspired in a similar program developed in Europe in 1985,cite web|url=http://www.guiascostarica.com/bazul/|author=|title=Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica|publisher=Guía Costa Rica|date=|accessdate=2008-06-19|language=Spanish] the ""Bandera Azul Ecológica"" (Ecological Blue Flag) Program is intended to promote development while curving the negative impacts of mass tourism by promoting the local community to organize against pollution and protecting the environment. The program evaluates the environmental quality of coastal areas, in terms of the quality of the beaches and sea water, access and quality of drinking water, water and waste management, security, and environmental education. Depending on the degree of compliance against the optimal criteria established, up to four stars are awarded to the Blue Flag.cite news|url=http://www.vivapuntaleona.com/pdf/news/blue_flag_journal.pdf |title= Blue Flags for green action| author=Peter Freeman|publisher=The Journal|date=2007-03-14 |accessdate=2008-06-19|language= pp. 10] After the first evaluation, ten beaches were awarded the distinction, that usually is highly publicized to potential visitors.cite web|url=http://www.incae.ac.cr/ES/clacds/nuestras-investigaciones/pdf/cen760.pdf |author=Lawrence Pratt and Naomi Olson|title=Sector Turístico en Costa Rica: Análisis de Sostenibilidad|publisher=INCAE Business School Research CEN 760|date=1997|accessdate=2008-06-15|language=English] As of 2008, and based on the evaluation carried out in 2007, 59 beaches kept the distinction while eight beaches lost it, including some popular destinations such as Playa Tamarindo, Playa Ocotal and Playa Manzanillo. All the demoted beaches presented fecal contamination of their waters.cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/marzo/26/pais1472711.html |author=Ángela Ávalos|title=Ocho playas pierden Bandera Azul por contaminación|publisher=La Nación |date=2008-03-26 |accessdate=2008-06-15 |language=Spanish]

Voluntary Certification Program

Developed in 1997 by the Costa Rican Board of Tourism, the public agency responsible for tourism development and regulation in the country, a voluntary Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (known as CST) was introduced in order to turn "the concept of sustainability into something real" by "improving the way in which the natural and social resources are utilized, to motivate the active participation of the local communities, and to support the competitiveness of the business sector." The program was aimed for all types of businesses in the tourism industry, but it began only with lodging providers. By 2007, a total of 108 parameters are considered for the CST evaluation. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/noviembre/07/economia1306648.html |author=Mercedes Agüero|title=ICT espera 2 millones de turistas a finales del 2008|publisher=La Nación |date=2007-11-07 |accessdate=2008-06-15 |language=Spanish ] As of June 2008, out of 3,000 hotels and tours operators, only 94 have a Certification for Sustainable Tourism. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/junio/10/economia1571732.html |author=Hassel Fallas|title=ICT promoverá hoteles amigables con la naturaleza|publisher=La Nación |date=2008-06-10|accessdate=2008-06-15|language=Spanish] Some tour operators in the U.S. and Europe promote several small hotels that hold this certification through their travel packages. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/mayo/18/ultima-sr1101943.html |author= |title=Certificación promueve a Costa Rica en Europa|publisher=La Nación |date=2008-05-18|accessdate=2008-06-15|language=Spanish]

Beaches and adventure

Most of the main attractions are nature related, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and adventure activities: sun, sea and sand (55%); flora and wildlife watching (44%); visiting volcanoes (43%); trekking (41%); bird watching (30%); canopy tours (26%);bungee jumping from bridges (11%); surfing (11%); snorkeling (10%); and rafting (7%). Cultural activities such as visiting museums, art galleries and theaters corresponds to 11%, and business travel corresponds to 17%.

Main natural attractions

National Parks and Biological Reserves

* Cocos Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a top nominee in the contest to chose the world's New 7 Wonders of Nature. [cite web |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/enero/11/weeklyreview.html | publisher=La Nacion |title=World natural wonder |author= |language= |date=2004-12-29|accessdate=2008-01-11]
* Area de Conservación Guanacaste, UNESCO World Heritage Site,
* La Amistad International Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Border Costa Rica-Panama
* Corcovado National Park
* Chirripó National Park
* Tortuguero National Park
* Tapantí National Park
* Braulio Carrillo National Park
* La Selva Biological Station, Organization for Tropical Studies (Private Reserve)
* Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Monteverde, Puntarenas (Private Reserve)

Volcanoes

* Poás Volcano at Poas Volcano National Park, Alajuela.
* Irazú Volcano at Irazu National Park, Cartago.
* Arenal Volcano at Arenal National Park, Alajuela.
* Turrialba Volcano, at Turrialba Volcano National Park, Cartago.
* Tenorio Volcano National Park, where the popular Rio Celeste (Light Blue River) is located, Guanacaste.
* Rincón de la Vieja at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, Guanacaste.

Beaches

See "List of beaches of Costa Rica"
* Manuel Antonio Beach at Manuel Antonio National Park
* Cahuita Beach at Cahuita National Park, Limón
* Puerto Viejo Beach, Talamanca, Limón
* Manzanillo Beach, Limón
* Gandoca Beach, Limón
* Tamarindo Beach, Guanacaste
* Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste
* Conchal Beach, Guanacaste
* Jaco Beach, Puntarenas
* Herradura Beach, Puntarenas
* Montezuma Beach, Puntarenas
* Zancudo Beach, Puntarenas

Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica

Elected in 2007 by Costa Ricans through an open contest organized by a leading newspaper as the 7 natural wonders of Costa Rica, [cite web |url=http://www.nacion.com/proa/2007/agosto/26/reportajes1210252.html | publisher= La Nación |title=Concurso 7 maravillas naturales de Costa Rica |author= Randall Corella V. |language=Spanish |date=2007-08-26|accessdate=2008-06-08] these natural sites are among the most popular destinations by both foreign and domestic tourists, with the exception of Cocos Island, which it is not easily accessed, because it is located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550 km (340 mi) from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica.

Other activities and popular destinations

* Sarchí, Alajuela, for shopping souvenirs and typical products, including the popular Costa Rican ox carts.
* INBioparque, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Santo Domingo de Heredia.
* Lancaster Botanical Garden, Cartago.
* Orosí Colonial Church and Ujarrás Church Ruins, Cartago.
* Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, (Church of Our Lady of Los Angeles), Cartago.
* Guayabo Arqueologichal Site, Turrialba, Cartago.
* Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theater), San José.
* Teatro Popular Melico Salazar (Popular Theater), San José.
* Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura (National Center of Arts and Culture), San José.
* Museo Nacional de Costa Rical (National Museum), San José.
* Museo de Oro (Gold Museum), Central Bank of Costa Rica, San José.
* Museo de Jade, (Jade Museum), Instituto Nacional de Seguros en San José.
* Museo Juan Santamaría en Alajuela
* Museo de los Niños, (Children Museum), San José.
* Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolivar, (National Zoo), San José.
* Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, (Caribbean destination), Puerto Viejo | Costa Rica Limón Province.

Environmental and social impacts

Beachfront developments

In many beach areas, but especially in the towns of Tamarindo and Jacó, a real estate boom took placed, when many foreigners from developed countries began buying beachfront properties and building holiday and vacation houses and condominiums. These developments completely changed the life style in these towns, and property prices are now so high that it became prohibitive for Costa Ricans to own beach front properties. Also, the lack of planning for these developments is having a negative social impact on small communities, as in some cases they are forced to move to places with less adequate infrastructure and where not enough job opportunities exist. [cite news|url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/septiembre/20/pais1707814.html |title=Desarrollo de zonas costeras se da sin planificación social|author= Hárold Brenes|publisher=La Nación|date=2008-09-20|language=Spanish|accessdate=2008-09-20]

Hotel siting and construction

Also there have been isolated controversies regarding the site location and construction of hotels and beach resorts invading the 50 m protected maritime public zone; also a case of one hotel located within a protected area; and a few cases of resort development with severe negative impacts to existing flora and fauna, by dumping construction wastes damaging coral reefs or filling mangroves. As a result of these controversies, a law was passed in 1995 to require environmental impact studies before a hotel is authorized to operate.

More recently, controversy took place with the construction of the Sardinal-El Coco-Ocotal aqueduct by private devolopers, as the community of Sardinal protested violently because they fear that scarce drinking water will be diverted for the tourism developments whose owners are financing the pipeline. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/mayo/13/sucesos1534160.html|author=Otto Vargas e Ingrid Morales|title=Grupo quema tubería y apedrea maquinaria en protesta por obra |publisher=La Nación |date=2008-05-13 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Spanish] As of May 2008, construction works were stopped by order of the local municipality. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/mayo/28/pais1554639.html|author=Marcela Cantero|title=Municipio suspende obras de acueducto en Sardinal |publisher=La Nación |date=2008-05-28 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Spanish] Developers and the government authorities have explained the aqueduct is public, and that it will benefit not only the tourism developements but also the surrounding communities. [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/junio/20/pais1586161.html|author=Ángela Ávalos|title=Grupo defiende inversión en acueducto |publisher=La Nación |date=2008-06-20 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Spanish] [cite news |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/mayo/29/pais1556005.html|author=Álvaro Murillo|title=Gobierno dice que falló al explicar obras en Sardinal |publisher=La Nación |date=2008-05-29 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Spanish] Controversy still persists regarding the real capacity of the Sardinal aquifer.

Sex tourism

The rapid growth of tourism also has the consequence of the country becoming a popular destination for sex tourism. [cite news|url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/diciembre/05/ultima-ce1.html|title=Unos 130 sitios de internet promueven turismo sexual Costa Rica|publisher=La Nación|date=2004-12-05|accessdate=2007-03-16|language=Spanish] [cite news|author=Otto Vargas|url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/diciembre/05/sucesos0.html|title=Agencias ofrecen en el exterior damas para vacaciones eróticas en Costa Rica|publisher=La Nación |date=2004-12-04 |language=Spanish| accessdate=2007-03-16] [cite news|author=Ángela Ávalos |url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/junio/22/pais1567973.html|title=Cien personas escapan de redes de tráfico de almas en Jacó|publisher=La Nación|date=2008-06-2204|language=Spanish|accessdate=2008-06-22] Despite the government and industry efforts, child sex trade has been also a problem. [cite news | first=Phillip | last=Wright | coauthors= | title=Sex tourism: Lessons learned in Costa Rica | date= | publisher= | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3818871.stm | work =BBC News | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | language = ] cite news | first = Serge F.| last = Kovaleski| title = Child Sex Trade Rises In Central America| url = http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/costarica/prostitution.htm| work = Washington Post Foreign Service| archivedate=2006-12-20| archiveurl=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/costarica/prostitution.htm| publisher = Washington Post Foreign Service| date= 2000-01-02| accessdate = 2006-12-20] A study estimated that "up to 10% of tourists who come to Costa Rica engage in sex tourism", with as many as 10,000 sex workers involved, many of whom are immigrants. [Cite web|url=http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/abril/07/sucesos1484459.html|title=Red trajo al país más de 400 dominicanas para prostitución |publisher=La Nación|date=2008-04-07|author=Otto Vargas|accessdate=2008-04-07|language=Spanish] [Citation|last=Schifter-Sikora|first=Jacobo|year=2006|title=Mongers in Heaven: Sexual Tourism and HIV Risk in Costa Rica and in the United States|Publisher=University Press of America|ISBN=978-0761835974] Also it was reported that about 80% of the sex tourist are from the US. [cite news | first=Blake | last=Schmidt | coauthors= | title=Businesses Say No to Sex Tourism Industry | date= July 27, 2007| publisher= | url = | work =Tico Time | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-30 | language = ] This is largely due because prostitution is not illegal, but many of the activities surrounding it are indeed illegal, [cite web|title=Código Penal, Ley No. 4573 de 1970 y reformas hasta 26 de febrero de 2002|author=Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica|url=http://www.oas.org/Juridico/MLA/sp/cri/sp_cri-int-text-cpenal.pdf|language=Spanish|accessdate=2007-03-17 see SECCIÓN III: Corrupción, proxenetismo, rufianería (Articles 167 to 172).] such as pimping. [cite news|url=http://www.laflecha.net/canales/blackhats/200412073/|title="Promoción de la prostitución: Unos 130 sitios de internet promueven el turismo sexual de Costa Rica"|publisher=LaFlecha.net|date=2004-12-07|accessdate=2007-03-17|language=Spanish|quote= ...prostitution is not penalized in the country, but a third-party soliciting clients for a prostitute ("proxenetismo") is commiting a crime(free translation from Spanish)] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Costa Rica | date= | publisher=U.S. State Department | url =http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61722.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-28 | language =| quote =...There are no specific laws against sex tourism, which was growing]

See also

* National Parks of Costa Rica
* Islands of Costa Rica
* Museums of Costa Rica
* Guayabo archeological site
* List of airports in Costa Rica

References

External links

* [http://www.visitcostarica.com/ict/paginas/home.asp?ididioma=2 Costa Rican Board of Tourism (ICT) official web site] en icon
* [http://www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/EN/home.shtml Costa Rica's Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program - CST Official site. See here list of CST certified hotels and operators] en icon
* [http://www.guiascostarica.com/bazul/ Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica es icon (Description of the Ecological Blue Flag Program)]
* [http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/ Costa Rica National Parks] en icon