The parks system has indeed become one of the country’s largest sources of revenue with ecotourism expanding in conjunction with the development of protected areas. Early ecotourists were mainly academic or scientific tourists and students, mostly hosted through the OTS and the TSC’s projects, however, the publicity generated by these biologist’s publications, combined with a major campaign from the Costa Rican Tourism Institution, ICT, and LACSA, the national airline, soon began to attract more casual ‘nature’ tourists keen to experience a taste of the tropics.
By 1995 the number of foreign visitors had reached over 800,000 and visitor revenues to the parks and reserves meant that these areas became not only self-maintaining but an engine for economic growth, initiating a much needed shift in public perception regarding conservation policy.
Despite coming second to the high-tech sector in terms of revenue generated, ecotourism has actually proved a far more effective and direct means of transferring foreign income into the domestic economy and generating opportunities for Costa Ricans. The industry has brought significant development into often rural and previously disadvantaged areas, in the form of both direct employment and the sale of trickle-down services such as transport, restaurants, handicrafts and locally produced goods, even the country’s ailing coffee market has been give a boost through increased tourist consumption.
Ecotourism has made conservation viable, giving the protection of the forest and its biodiversity an intrinsic economic value to local communities, making it a viable land-use option for sustainable development that addresses both ecological and economic needs and acknowledges their mutual interdependence.
Despite coming second to the high-tech sector in terms of revenue generated, ecotourism has actually proved a far more effective and direct means of transferring foreign income into the domestic economy and generating opportunities for Costa Ricans. The industry has brought significant development into often rural and previously disadvantaged areas, in the form of both direct employment and the sale of trickle-down services such as transport, restaurants, handicrafts and locally produced goods, even the country’s ailing coffee market has been give a boost through increased tourist consumption.
Ecotourism has made conservation viable, giving the protection of the forest and its biodiversity an intrinsic economic value to local communities, making it a viable land-use option for sustainable development that addresses both ecological and economic needs and acknowledges their mutual interdependence.
