Evaluate the strategies designed to manage and sustain the tourist industry in Costa Rica:
From Table 9.5, it appears that Asia, Africa, and the Middle East best manage and sustain tourism since they have a positive difference from 1950-2009 in tourism numbers. The efforts in improving transportation, for example, in China cone tributes to growing tourism numbers. In Costa Rica, the increase in tourism dollars goes back into improving the country -- their life expectancy and environmental performance index has increased as their tourism investment has increased.
Examine the importance of tourism as a development strategy for Costa Rica:
Tourism is vital, especially in low-income countries where global exposure can assist in recognition and solving those problems. While many people do not want to go to Afghanistan because of war, the country could still benefit from tourism. As tourists see the country and appreciate its beauty and customs, their tourism dollars can contribute to infrastructure and education and economic developments. Tourism dollars can trickle down -- tourists make purchases, spend money that contributes to the economy, benefitting local business and individuals. Tourists who come from the US or Europe have a better value for their money, because of the exchange rate, making their economic input of greater impact to developing nations.
An annotated map of Costa Rica that highlights the following:
The bordering countries
Oceans and main water bodies (rivers / lakes)
Capital city and main urban areas
Five key ecotourism places to visit in Costa Rica with a short 25 word description. For example:
-- Las Baulas National Marine Park, a national park, covers almost 44 acres north of Tamarindo...
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...k.com/docs/default-source/resource-library-documents/final-final-alaska-geotourism-charter-january-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=2>.
"Eco Tours in Alaska - Sustainable Tourism & Conservation Laws." Alaska Ecotourism Tours. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
"Glacier Retreat in Alaska." Alaska. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
"Region 10 ." Recreation. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
"Service Interruption." All About Glaciers. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
"Travel Alaska." Experience Alaska. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
The idea that led to Ecotourism emerged in the late sixties when people like Oswaldo Muñoz, now president of the Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association, started guiding tourists around their countries to view natural wonders. Many companies began to set up lodging near parks and reserves and even began to develop tours of those areas. The vision of showing off exotic plants, animals and the overall natural beauty of countries like Ecuador also attracted them. Yet early on, this did little to help the local economies. It actually contributed to other problems: In Ecuador, half of the country's rain forest disappeared, and environmental groups and other organizations promoting ecotourism flocked to places where endangered species, including many indigenous populations, lived. But with the growing environmental awareness of the seventies and the realization that large resorts like Acapulco and Cancun were devastating to the environment, both governmental and non-governmental organizations began to look for ways to both protect the environment and stimulate local economies. Thus ecotourism was born.
Ecotourism is defined according to Higgins (2006) as travel that preserves the environment and promotes the welfare of local people. Costa Rica is often viewed as the epicenter of ecotourism; in brief it has become the leading destination for ecotourism in Latin America (Horton, 2009). Although ecotourism has been an integral part of the Costa Rican economy over the past decades, there is a significant need to look into the neoliberal policies that drive the sector as there is research that illustrates the detriment it can cause a local community. Furthermore, Costa Rica’s ecotourism boom occurred as a result of the government’s rapid expansion of protected areas in the 1970s and 1980s to cast one fourth of the national territory (Horton, 2009). In terms of environmental efficiency, a report by the CIA (2014) highlights that Costa Rica is effectively managing its overall Carbon emission from consumption of energy at a modest 6.806 million Mt, which is measured in metric tons. Ranking Costa Rica 116th in terms of consumption, whereas Ecuador a country with similar characteristics, ranks 76th out of all countries in the world. There is also strong signals that highlight the economic role that ecotourism has formed, by the late 1990s, employing 12 percent of Costa Rica’s labor force (Horton, 2006). The forces at play, construct the system that originally initiated the ecotourism boom and has led it to this point. Thus, the implications of ecotourism in Costa Rica have widely varied from preserving forest, reducing the carbon emission from consumption of energy and incorporating ecotourism as an effective sector of the economy. However I will point out there needs to be a more broad emphasis on the counter narratives that ecotourism ...
This is an Economic analysis of the impacts of cruise ship tourism specifically pertaining to Costa Rica. The analysis was published in the “International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Research”. The source has trusted information written by two established, well known, professors, in the tourism field, Juan Brida and Sandra Zapata. The source houses a wealth of statistical information that illustrates the positive impacts that cruise ships have on Costa Rica. Not only does the article have data on the exact number of cruise ship passengers that
Johnson, D. (2002). Environmentally sustainable cruise tourism: a reality check. Marine Policy, 26 (4), 261-270. Retrieved October 11, 2017 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X02000088
The discourse concerning the impacts of tourism in national development, economic and otherwise, has had both negative and positive connotations. Societies hosting tourist attractions are seen as the victims of the negative effects of tourism while the tourists seen as the perpetrators of the crime; bringing their culture and values and imposing them on the host societies. While these generally accepted stereotypical thoughts may be true in some instances, it is however misleading to hold these notions regarding the changes in the social and cultural aspects of a society. Whereas sociocultural changes may in part be due to tourism, it can also be due to other modernization and global factors such as international trade relations, military actions, migration etc (Sharpley R. and Telfer D., 2002).
Consequently, it is evident that tourism in creating jobs, improving leakages, contribution on the GDP, enhancement of multiplier effect, poverty reduction and engaging people to the programs that enable and improve the economy of the specific country.
Since tourism is one of the main sources of income of the Dominican economy, it is not surprising that it is small but magical the sea of the island the tourist attraction point of the Caribbean, and is that no account alone with a spectacular climate and with the Unforgettable beaches, It also has a warmth that is not provided by its climate, but to speak of this point of interest, it is necessary to speak of its population, which receives abroad with love and with its wonderful food, which makes Every person sits at home
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1), implications for what tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into matter. Since the 1970’s research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse affects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574). The reason why tourism looks attractive (and thus turn a blind eye) to these Caribbean countries is because of “its potential to foster GDP growth, to create employment, to increase foreign exchange earnings, and attract capital investment” (Daye, Chambers, and Roberts 2). This paper will overview such impacts by first discussing a case study conducted in Jamaican resort town, Ocho Rios, with Sheere Brooks discussing the observed social, cultural and economical consequences of Jamaica’s reliance on the tourism industry and will finally look at tourism in relation to capitalism, with Robert Fletcher suggesting in his article that the tourism industry (and more specifically...
There are number of reasons for tourism development agencies, in both the public and private sectors, to develop pro-poor tourism strategies as a priority agenda in practice. The two main reasons are suggested as
Boca’s Del Toro is one of Panama’s 10 provinces, which lies besides the Caribbean Sea and is very famous for its commonly visited islands. It is an amazing place. Most buildings of wood and bright colors are connected into a dock with direct access to the sea. Instead of cars, tourists and locals use boats as a means of everyday transport. Despite the continual coming and going of boats, the waters are so clear that fish and sea stars are easily seen.
One of the possible way is to measure the sustainability of ecotourism by developing sustainability indicators. In the past, indicators are mostly used to measure the economic growth such as GDP. The indicators now are different as compared to the traditional indicators, because they take into consideration the severity of the current issues, measures of risk and potential need for action, and means to identify and measure the results behind such actions taken (Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourism Destinations, 2004). Indicators are important because it can be used for monitoring the impacts of ecotourism and giving the management side to have a strategic planning to take certain measures against it. To plan such measures, appropriate data are required. For example, addressing the problem of overcrowding, compulsory data like total number of tourists visiting the destination, number of tourists per square metre of the site (per square kilometre of the destination), and percentage of tourists who believe that the destination is crowded. All these data provided can be essential to identify, evaluate and make critical decisions before any negative impact has occur on the environment. With sustainability indicator in place, the issue of overcrowding can be minimise, and ecotourism in Costa Rica can be proved as
Belsoy, J. 2012, ‘Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Protected Areas’, Journal of Environmental and Earth Science, vol. 2, pp. 10.
According to Mazumder, Sultana and Al-Mamun (2013), lack of tourism strategies in some member countries against others reflects lack of integration and implementation that hinder progress. This has resulted in an imbalance in tourism development with some countries showing insufficient for example Laos and Myanmar while others like Malaysia and Singapore show prosperity. Due to the significant changes equally experienced in the developing areas (Telfer & Sharpley, 2008), member countries need to take initiatives like emphasizing and focusing on alternative tourism forms including ecotourism, sustainable tourism, pro-poor tourism, and community-based tourism (CBT) – all of which ultimately aim at generating more beneficial development for local populations (Reid, 2003) and hence a promoting a uniform development between members. Alternative tourism is used as a strategy by countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. This has initiated the participation of communities through community-based-tourism to increase
Whenever one thinks of travel and tourism, pleasant images of relaxing on the beach, strolling through colorful neighborhoods, or hiking through a landscape of awe-inspiring natural beauty, may come to mind.
Nature is very important in nature tourism because the nature plays significant role in tourism as it provides motivation to travel and also is the place where tourism activities happens (Edward – Benediktsson 2013, 190). This reflects that together with the natural beauty of the destinations in nature based tourism, the human aspects like culture and hospitality of the people residing in destination place also plays a significant role. Hence, it is important to select destination based on its location and cultural identity of the people. The book review by Buckley (2000) shows that in addition to the natural aspect, the economic and social activities connected to tourism at the destination place should also be considered for successful nature based tourism.