Hello, and thanks ahead of time for checking out our blog! We’re happy you’ve decided to check us out. We’re a blog centered around Costa Rica, a premiere travel destination for folks looking to see beautiful landscapes and wildlife.
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica is located in Central America, directly south of Nicaragua and to the northeast of Panama. The country is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Caribbean Sea to the west.
According to CEOS.org(Committee on Earth Observation Satellites), Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Despite only taking up 0.3% of the Earth’s surface area, the country takes up a whopping 6% of the world’s biodiversity. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder that tourists flock here.
Costa Rica is without a doubt the most visited country in Central America. According to Worlddata.info(Who got their data from the World Tourism Organisation), a staggering 2.91m overnight tourists and 301k same-day tourists visited Costa Rica in 2024. Most of the tourists that come to visit are interested in the rainforest and humid environments, animals, and national parks that populate the country as that is the main ‘pull factor’.
Costa Rica gets a lot out of tourism. In 2024, 5.45bn USD of revenue was generated directly from tourism, making it one of the largest sectors in the country. Each tourist generates about 1,693USD(Worlddata.info). In addition to that, many industries rely on travelers and tourism as a whole such as hospitality, food and beverage, and souvenirs/arts/crafts. Tourism also helps fund national parks, which attract many visitors.
Why is Sustainability Important?
If you prompt somebody to think of sustainability, odds are they often think of ‘going green’ and being environmentally-friendly. And yes, being environmentally-friendly is very important, but the truth of the matter is that sustainability is multi-faceted. Sustainability also has to account for the culture of a region and its economy. This might be a bit difficult to wrap your head around at first.
Take for example you’re a fledgling tourist who’s heard about a pristine island nation. There isn’t any litter, the culture is rich, and it’s cheap. It sounds absolutely wonderful. So you book a trip to the nation and the first thing you notice is that everything is clean. There are safeguards for swimming and diving near coral reefs and there’s a mandate for tour vehicles to be electric. You’re positively ecstatic. You were super excited for nature and now you’re glad they’re doing a good job of taking care of their country and the environment. After the initial hype, you go out grocery shopping and you find that the prices are a lot more than what your friend told you about. That’s odd, but it’s just one thing. Then you get to the hotel and find out that it is pricey as well. Now you’re starting to get concerned. Prices are a bit out of control. But at least the culture was great, right? You find that one of your tours stem from a company operating out of Switzerland and it’s difficult to find authentic local-run shops or restaurants because they are completely overshadowed by ones from Western countries.
This is why sustainability is important. The environment matters, but the people residing in said environment matter just as much, if not even more. If the locals cannot afford to live in their home anymore, then slowly, the culture will start to drift away from what people loved about the site, and eventually, it just won’t be the same anymore.
Our Purpose
The goal of this blog is to approach tourism from a realist’s perspective. There are a lot of positives that are associated with tourism, but there are a lot of negatives as well. We, the writers aim to do three things. One, show the social/cultural, economic, and environmental negatives associated with tourism in Costa Rica. Two, suggest possible solutions at large. Lastly, three, present some solutions or things that you, the reader, can do to help.
Don’t Hesitate!
If you’re into sustainability, tourism, Costa Rica, or just have something to share in general, don’t be afraid or ashamed to comment. We would love to hear about things you have encountered on your trip to Costa Rica, your professional expertise, or a local’s perspective on how tourism is impacting your home.
Sources used: 1. https://ceos.org/news/tropical-forests-costa-rica/ 2. https://www.worlddata.info/america/costa-rica/tourism.php
