The osa peninsula is the last remaining section of costa ricas pacific. As part of the central american isthmus, costa rica is both interoceanic and intercontinental. History and trends costa rica, a small country in central america, has transformed itself. Since the 80s, costa ricas presentation card for the tourist has been ecological tourism or ecotourism, which mainly offers visits to state and private protected. Its greatest benefits in the social, economic, environmental and cultural areas have helped put the little country of costa rica onto the international map awareness setting costa rica as a worldwide leader and a success story of how eco tourism can positively impact a whole country as long as it is done properly, at an early stage of. Are you ready to soar above the forest canopy on a zipline, relax on beaches on the pacific coast, explore the caribbean jungle and swim in crystal clear water under a waterfall. Find in this section brochures about these and many more adventures. Development and conservation tool in the osa peninsula, costa rica.
Request pdf sustainable medical tourism in costa rica purpose the purpose of this paper is to ascertain the relative importance of sustainable tourism practices to medical tourists. A study estimated that up to 10% of tourists who come to costa rica engage in sex tourism, with as many as. Which tools and techniques were used in order to develop to one of the most popular destinations for sustainable tourism. The slogan of that time the garden of the americas already demonstrated a willingness to develop ecological tourism. Contemporary short history of ecotourism and sustainable tourism in costa rica 1970s and early 1980. Costa rica also has the highest density of plant and animal species on earth. Costa rica has been a leader in the ecotourism race, with the largest economic revenue coming from tourism and the industry continues to grow dasenbrock 2002.
The focus of the economic study was the implementation of a survey during three. Costa rica is so much more than just a little country in central america. Alternative tourism is experiencing a boom in costa rica, which shows that it is profitable mendoza 1986. We focus on the case of costa rica using data collected by the costa rican tourism institute during the period 2006 2008. We hope this information will be a valuable aid in deciding on costa rica as a medical tourism destination of your choice. About costa rica learn costa rica facts, history and culture. To what extent should costa ricas tourism strategy be. Foreign exchange due to tourism as a proportion of the countrys gdp, stood at 6. Tourism overall in central america has increased over 18% in the last 4 years, mainly due to increases in tourism to costa rica and panama.
Get to the heart of costa rica with one of lonely planets indepth, awardwinning guidebooks. It is the most popular destination in central america, although tourism faces rising competition and slowing growth. Costa rica get your official my costa rica travel guide. Devoted to the conservation of natural resources, over a quarter of the country is protected by the national park system and draws millions of tourists each year. The people of costa rica take great pride in their country and are gracious hosts to their guests. Annual statistical data on international arrivals, costa rica departures, economic details, tourist offerings and cruise ship arrivals. There couldnt be a better place than costa rica to recuperate and unwind.
Tourism makes a significant contribution to the costa rican economy. Costa rica has one of the oldest democracies in latin america, having avoided many of the political problems in the region in the 1970s and 1980s. Costa rica is a tradeheavy economy, with trade accounting for. The rainforest package at the multi awardwinning lapa rios lodge, overlooking the pacific ocean, for instance, costs around. Costa rica global healthcare destination medical tourism. Centering yourself on a surfboard or yoga mat, descending into batfilled caves or ascending misty volcanic peaks, hiking, biking or ziplining your only limit is your return date. Microeconomics of competitiveness medical tourism cluster. English espanol francais deutsch italiano portuguese. Ecotourism in costa rica is one of the key activities of the tourism industry in the country. Number of tourist arrivals in costa rica 2019 statista. For many, this country is an example to follow because of its successful. Costa rica has a population of just under 5 million peoplea little more than half the population of new york city. Costa ricas impressive biodiversity is what makes it a.
Costa ricas economy is led by exportoriented agriculture, relatively lowcost technology services, and tourism. Costa rica is home to 5% of the worlds known biodiversity with over 500,000 species of animals. Tourism is an industry that earns more revenue for costa rica than its booming agricultural sector. The input of tourism entrepreneurs at all levels provided valuable insights and new. The creation of national parks, wildlife reserves and private land holdings are helping protect these valuable assets and allowing them to thrive.
Costa rica travel guide free online guide for costa rica. Statement by the costa rica tourism board on covid19. In the 1960s costa rica warily became aware that tourism could be an important source of income. Biodiverstiy and tourism in costa rica march, 2001 6 1.
Environmental and ethical principles to be fundamental to their philosophy and success. Medical tourism directory costa rica your medical tourism guide. Whatever type of person you are we have everything you need and want. Highvalueadded goods and services, including medical devices, further. The paradox of tourism in costa rica cultural survival. Visit costa rica costa rica tourism official website. September 2009 598 john rutter an ecotourism case study. Check out our guide to sportfishing in costa rica, where you will find free information about things to see and do, maps, suggestions and other costa rica fishing tips. In 2007, over 70% of those who entered costa rica stated their purpose of travel as vacation. Despite government and industry efforts, the child sex trade has also been a problem.
The impact of tourism has the potency to increase public awareness and encourage the appreciation of nature. With respect to costa ricas tourism statistics in relation to the central american region, the country accounted for nearly 26 percent of the regions tourist arrivals. This investigation adds to a very limited body of work by providing explorations of the significance of surf tourism for surfers and by bringing forward data and. Sex tourism in costa rica can easily be attributed to the rapid growth of international tourism in the country, and the country is being promoted as a popular destination for sex tourism. Anyone who spends at least one night in the country but does not live there for more than 12 months is considered a tourist. Choose a country and prepare a tourism situation analysis. Our costa rica travel guide offers valuable information on the top tourist destinations as well as valuable costa rica. Evaluating the effectiveness of costa ricas sustainable. There is an incredible variety of ecosystems in costa rica that house a stunning display of flora and fauna. But no matter how you define it, costa rica is a beacon for sustainability and environmentally friendly tourism. That leaves costa rica with over 30 percent of its national territory marked for conservationone of the highest ratios in the world.
In order to increase the likelihood that ecotourism achieves goals of sustainable development in costa rica, all of the key. Costa ricas economy revolves around foreign investment and tourism. Introduction tourism, as an industry has developed immensely over the last few years, much of which can be attributed to the way of living, improvement in the living standards, socioeconomic progress and also the convenience of traveling. Your report should provide an overview of tourism in that particular country. Costa rica, together with cuba, mexico, panama, colombia, brazil, and chile, is among the latin america countries that have become popular destinations for medical tourism. Costa rica is a tradeheavy economy, with trade accounting for over 60% of gdp. However, costa rica is not immune to the pressures of deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture cia 2003. Costa rica boasts a long history of peaceful democratic rule, as well as a high standard of living compared to its central american neighbors. Costa rica is also one of central americas most popular tourist destinations and is especially wellknown for ecotourism. Cultural brochures visit costa rica costa rica tourism official. You will find comparisons with the two previous years and in 10year series. Ecotourism and sustainable development in costa rica.
Costa rica tourism in the economy tourism makes a significant contribution to the costa rican economy. In the past decade, costa rica has attracted businesses from the united states, including ibm, dell, and western union. Sustainable tourism, ecofriendly travel, green hotels, responsible tourismits a jungle of terminology out there. Chinese tourist arrivals in selected european countries 20122017. Ecotourism has more promise for achieving sustainability than alternative types of land use such as agriculture, cattle grazing, logging, or mass tourism.
Adventure brochures visit costa rica costa rica tourism official. In costa rica, green travel is more than a buzzword. Costa rica case study unedited working paper 2 how nature conservation can become an engine for ecotourism and sustainable development umana 2001. Summary of the socioeconomic situation in costa rica1. Its greatest benefits in the social, economic, environmental and cultural areas have helped put the little country of costa rica onto the international map awareness setting costa rica as a worldwide leader and a success story of how ecotourism can positively impact a whole country as long as it is done properly, at an early stage of. Costa rica is a central american country with a land area of 51,100 sq km and a population of nearly 3. Whether or not ecotourism in costa rica will prove to be sustainable in the longterm remains to be seen. Pdf in this paper, i question how representations of tourist destinations color and are colored by development. In costa rica, tourism has significantly contributed to conservation and restoration of the biological diversity of the natural resources. Along with the cheaper ones, there are some of the worlds most opulent and expensive options. Ecotourism in costa rica is a robust industry because the country was one of the earliest adopters of connecting naturewildlife conservation with responsible travel costa rica has been ranked among the worlds best ecotourism destinations on more than one occasion, and became the first country in the americas to ban hunting in 2012.
Tourism is one of costa rica s most important businesses, and they are blessed to contain all the key ingredients of the perfect tourist destination. Surf tourism is a largely ignored mode of touristic behavior in the academy. Pdf ecotourism in costa rica melissa brucher academia. The tug between preservation and profit in costa rica tourism will be played out in the coalitions created between governmental and community priorities and in how those coalitions relate to natural and cultural resources tangley 1986. By the early 1990s, costa rica became known as the poster child of ecotourism. Sustainable medical tourism in costa rica request pdf. Those in search of cultural and natural attractions will find both in the central valley region. Development of the tourism sector in costa rica from 1995 to 2018 the following chart shows the number of tourist arrivals registered in costa rica each year. This is a process costa rica has successfully followed long term as in 1987, mendoza speculated that scientific papers, film and tv had given costa rica a good international reputation1 p. The country is among many developing nations that look to ecotourism as a way of cashing.
Costa rica, a small country in central america, has transformed itself into a popular and wellvisited tourism destination. Thus, medical tourism in costa rica is a complete package of health, fun, and savings. Home to the destinations capital city, san jose, many of costa ricas most popular museums can be found in this urban setting including the gold museum, jade museum, national museum and childrens museum, in addition to the architectural jewel of san jose, the national theatre. Costa rica maps visit costa rica costa rica tourism. According to ict, for 2007 costa rica experienced a 14. Costa rica was the pioneer in natureoriented tourism, originating from more than 100 years of environmental research and twenty years of conservation efforts.
Given the importance of preventing and avoiding the spread of the coronavirus caused by the covid19 disease that has been declared an international pandemic, the costa rica tourism board the ict informs its tourism partners that the government of the republic has ordered that only costa ricans and residents may enter the country for 25 days. Costa rica medical tourism costa rica medical travel. Laura driscoll, carter hunt, martha honey and william durham. Another report revealed that tourists from us to costa rica were prepared to spend usd1,150 per visit on average for. Current environment of costa ricas tourism industry 1. Our costa rica travel guide offers valuable information on the top tourist destinations as well as valuable costa rica travel tips.
Of these, 61percent say they would pay 510 percent more to use such companies. International tourism receipts costa rica 2018 statista. Tourism in costa rica has been growing firmly since 2009. In 2018, the international tourism receipts in costa rica, which include cruise passenger spending, amounted to more than 3. The impact of tourism on conservation go visit costa rica.
According to costa ricas national institute for tourism ict, costa rica is in demand and is ranked 56th in the world for tourist arrivals. In 20, the costa rica tourism industry attracted 2. Costa rica has been used as a case study to investigate and explore the ecological effectiveness of national sustainable tourism policy and governance. Tourism is one of costa ricas most important businesses, and they are blessed to contain all the key ingredients of the perfect tourist destination. As a result, its biodiversity is virtually unparalleled. With 802 miles 1,290 km of coastline, costa rica offers a range of maritime leisure activities, including sunbathing, boating, surfing, scuba diving, and parasailing. Tourism growth in costa rica tourism is the fastest growing sector of the worlds service industry, and ecotourism is the newest rage. The surveys with tourism and non tourism workers were supplemented with surveys of owners and managers from 11 hotels to help determine environmental, social, and economic practices and perceptions. The human development index places it as a highlevel country.
468 1057 903 1183 615 877 688 834 393 855 496 1066 904 834 237 470 1559 752 1072 1567 1118 636 1218 1168 192 598 961 1473 609 1432 1376 1297 613 490 973 933