Touring Costa Rica so far has been a great experience. Seeing the different coffee plantations and sites throughout San Jose has given me a different perspective on life within Costa Rica. Being from the U.S., many cannot comprehend a life of modest material possessions and limited access to things that are always available in the states such as hot water. It is interesting to see how the lifestyles are so different here.
Costa Rica especially has taken advantage of the ecotourism boom and the number of tourists visiting Costa Rica has increased steadily for years. Costa Rica's tourism industry undoubtedly has been economically strong and attractive, its benefitting the environment is questionable.
EcoTourism is a seen as ¨purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment; taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem; producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people.¨ This definition can be interpreted in multiple ways easily causing corruption and flaws in the actual representation of it. Costa Rica has turned to ecotourism as its key to economic development.
Costa Rica has incredible biodiversity with beaches, the rain forest, awesome volcanoes, and exotic wildlife. The tourist industry in Costa Rica brings in about 1 million visitors annually and generates approximately $1 billion a year, making it Costa Rica's second largest source of income after silicon chip production.
Costa Rica has been able to develop a solid ecotourism industry and capitalize on their natural resources. However, Costa Rica's ecotourism sector has been praised by environmentalists, politicians, and economists, not to mention avid travelers, but there are many who believe that ecotravel has not been an environmentally sound tool. Ecotravel has become a very appealing area of the service industry, but some of those who study the industry worry that the economic benefits of ecotourism may not be reaching the local community. Companies are motivated by short-term profits, while tourists are looking for mainly a self-satisfying vacation and local communities are seeking to obtain the maximum economic benefit from tourists.
Costa Rica's ecotourism industry overhead costs of training, infrastructure construction, and promotion can be a burden on poor nations, and the risks can be considerable; but the growth potential and environmental benefits of ecotourism make the investment worth the while in the long run.
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1 comment:
John great to hear you are having a blast! I hear the coffee is great, try the cheese to its fabulouS!
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