The tourism industry is many times criticized for the negative impact it can bring to a country, in the case of Costa Rica, it is often that you hear people complaining about the many developments in Guanacaste for example, many of which benefit huge international companies like hotel chains. The effect on the environment is another concern.

These feelings were recently expressed by many when the construction of the project Discovery Costa Rica was announced, a large part of the population saw it as great news, while others just saw another building imposing in the beautiful Guanacaste region. The government was quick to make a statement explaining that this project complied with different regulations including a controlled environmental impact.

Costa Rica’s biggest asset is its nature, its flora and fauna are a large part of what makes this country special, and tourism therefore has a very big impact in the country’s economy.

The battle Costa Rica faces right now is finding a balance, achieving sustainable development in the tourism industry, which can prove difficult when allowing big projects in the country can seem tempting and beneficial in the short term, but it is necessary to consider the effects in the long term; this wasn’t the case in the past, when constructions will come and go without many concerns; the country’s authorities are now forced to listen to environmental groups, and have been trying to find the balance between development and conservation of resources.
Costa Rica depends on tourism, and the positive effects can be seen in the country everyday.

Positive Effects of the Tourism Industry in Costa Rica:

Economic Effects: The creation of direct and indirect jobs is certainly a plus, especially if the communities take the development of rural tourism on their hands and choose to protect the resources they have as their livelihood depends on them. The money brought in by tourists benefits a lot of different industries. Infrastructure is also another positive effect of tourism, the construction of new roads, access to public services, etc. benefits every community.

Environmental Effects: Eco-Tourism initiatives are certainly the best kind; unfortunately, the environment almost always suffers the consequences of tourism, but it can be minimized with different measures. When natural resources are viewed as assets the community and those depending on tourism in the region are motivated to protecting and maintaining the environment. Another positive aspect that sometimes is not considered is that many people who used to depend on hunting, wood extraction; mining, etc. have now seen the opportunity in living off tourism, now instead of hunting some have established animal rescue centers, instead of killing the sea turtles and selling their eggs they protect them to ensure more visitation to the area.

Social and Cultural Effects: Tourists are interested in local culture, sometimes even more so than locals, tourism helps maintain and rescue the culture and tradition of a country. It has also made a difference in the lifestyle of many people in rural area who used to migrate to the city looking for jobs, and now choose to stay and help with the development of their own community; the indigenous reserves are a vivid example of this.

Certainly the big hotel chains will not seize to exist, there are still many visitors that feel more comfortable in these hotels because they know exactly what to expect, and they are simply convenient, however, the concept of small eco-boutique hotels continues to become more and more popular, as tourists seek different and unique experiences and become more aware of the importance of supporting local initiatives that care for the environment and community; this has also forced big hotel chains to take different approaches, strengthening their social and environmental responsibility programs.