Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the country and in 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner. Since 1999, tourism has generated more foreign exchange than bananas, pineapples and coffee exports combined. The explosion of tourism began in 1987, with visitor numbers rising from 329,000 in 1988, through 1.03 million in 1999, over 2 million in 2008, to a record 2.66 million foreign visitors by the year 2015. In 2012, tourism with 12.5% ​​of the country's GDP and is responsible for 11.7% of direct and indirect employment. In 2009 tourism attracted 17% of foreign direct investment inflows, and 13% on average between 2000 and 2009. In 2010 the tourism industry was responsible for 21.2% of the foreign exchange generated by all exports. According to a 2007 report by ECLAC, tourism contributes to a 3% poverty reduction in the country.
Since the late 1980s, Costa Rica has become a popular natural tourist destination, and its main competitive advantage is its well-established national park system and protected area, covering approximately 23.4% of the country's land area, the world's largest as a percentage of the country's territory, and home to a variety of flora and fauna, in a country that has only 0.03% of the world's land, but is estimated to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity. The country also has many beaches, both in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, within short trips, as well as some volcanoes that can be visited safely. In the early 1990s, Costa Rica became known as a poster child of ecotourism, with tourist arrivals reaching an average annual growth rate of 14% between 1986 and 1994.
According to the Costa Rica Tourism Board, 47% of international tourists visiting the country in 2009 were involved in ecotourism-related activities, including trekking, flora, fauna, and birdwatching, and visits to rural communities. However, most visitors look for adventure activities. Costa Rica is included by Ethical Traveler magazine in 2011 and 2012 lists of 10 Best Developing World's Ethics Destinations .
Video Tourism in Costa Rica
Key descriptions and statistics
Costa Rica stands as the most visited country in Central America, with 2.3 million foreign visitors by 2012, capturing a market share of 26.4% of all visitors to the region. In 2012 Panama ranks second in the region with 1.6 million, followed by Guatemala with 1.3 million visitors.
The number of tourists visiting Costa Rica surpassed 2 million milestones in 2008, and tourism-related revenues reached US $ 2.1 billion that year. As a result of the Great Recession, international arrivals began falling since August 2008, as the number of US citizens visiting the country shrank, and this segment represents 54% of all foreign tourists visiting Costa Rica.
The combined effects of the global economic crisis and the 2009 flu pandemic resulted in a decrease in tourist arrivals in 2009 to 1.9 million visitors, an 8% decrease compared to 2008. In 2010 the number of visitors rose to 2.1 million, barely above the 2008 Peak, and a record achieved in 2012 with 2.34 million visitors, an increase of 6.9% over 2011.
International tourist receipts rose to US $ 2,425 billion in 2012. The main country of origin is the United States with 921,097 tourists, followed by Nicaragua with 474,011 visitors, and Canada with 151,568. Costa Rica is the port of call to 175 yachts by 2012, down from its peak of 264 vessels in 2010. The cruise ship carries 247,138 short-term visitors in 2012, which spends US $ 14.4 million , down from US $ 31.8 million in 2004, the peak year for cruise ship acceptance.
Arrivals reached 2.428 million visitors in 2013, up 3.6% from 2012, and the US continues as a home country with 929,402 visitors (38.3%). In 2013, the average stay is 12.1 nights, up from 11.6 nights in 2012, and the average expenditure per international traveler is US $ 1,378 per stay. The historical record of 2.5 million international visitors arrives in the country in 2014, up 4.1% year-on-year, and corresponding receipts rose to US $ 2.636 billion in 2014, up 8.3% from the previous year. In addition, the average expenditure per visitor increased from US $ 1,171 in 2010 to US $ 1.431 in 2014, and the average stay increased from 11 days on in 2010 to 13.4 in 2014.
Costa Rica reached a new record in 2015 with 2.66 million visitors and total revenues of US $ 2.882 billion . The United States is once again the main source of tourists to Costa Rica, with 1,077,044 visitors by 2015, up 8% from 2014. The coming of Europe grew by 6.1%. The influx of tourists from South America showed the greatest growth, 13%, in particular arrivals from Brazil and Argentina.
In terms of the 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), Costa Rica reached rank 47th in the world rankings, classified as the third most competitive among Latin American countries after Panama (37) and Mexico (44), and ranked sixth in Americans. Just considering subindexes that measure human, cultural, and natural resources, Costa Rica ranks 38th on the world level, and 7 when considering only natural resource criteria. The country is ranked 26th overall for environmental sustainability, ranked ninth in the world for sustainable development of travel and tourism industry. The TTCI report also notes the major weaknesses of Costa Rica, the number of limited cultural sites (93) and the poor condition of the land transport infrastructure (100th), with the quality of the 129th rank road and the quality of the port infrastructure 106.
In 2012 most visitors came from the United States (39.3%), Nicaragua (20.2%), Canada (6.5%), Panama (3.9%), and Mexico (2.9%). Tourists from North America and European countries make up 60.8% of all international visitors, and visitors from Central America represent 30.8%. According to a 2006 survey, visitors from the Caribbean and South American Basin traveled to Costa Rica primarily for business or professional purposes, while the majority of Americans, Canadians and Europeans visited the country to relax. Word of mouth from friends and family, with an average of 58%, is the main reason to visit Costa Rica for holidays and vacations. The main visitors complaint is poor road conditions.
Maps Tourism in Costa Rica
Comparative performance in Latin American markets
The following table presents a comparison of the performance of the Costa Rica tourism industry with selected countries from the Caribbean and South American Basin, including the Bahamas, Cuba and some of the ten Latin American countries according to the 2013 Travel and Tournament Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is a competitor in the segment natural travel market.
- Note: Green The shadow shows the country with the top indicator. Yellow shadow corresponds to Costa Rica.
(1) Visitors and receipts for Cuba in accordance with 2011. For Bahamas tourism revenue as% of GDP is for 2003, and direct and indirect employment for 2005.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is very popular with many travelers visiting the vast national parks and protected areas throughout the country. Costa Rica is a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few people with true ecotourism. As of 2006, as many as 54% of international tourists visit national parks or protected areas, visiting at least two natural sanctuaries, and that rises to three for European visitors.
In recent years, some of its travel service providers have been internationally recognized for their commitment to positive planet-tourism. Examples include Nature Air and Hotel Punta Islita as award-winning Tourism Awards for Tomorrow, sponsored by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and Lapa Rios Ecolodge as winners of the Rainforest Alliance-Setter Sustainable Organizer.
The "Bandera Azul" program
Implemented in 1996 and inspired by a similar program developed in Europe in 1985, the Bandera Azul EcolÃÆ'³gica Program (Blue Flag Ecology) is intended to promote development while controlling the negative impact of mass tourism by helping local communities to work against pollution and protect the environment. The program evaluates coastal environmental quality, in terms of coastal and seawater quality, access and quality of drinking water, water and waste management, security, and environmental education. Depending on the level of compliance with the defined optimal criteria, a number of stars are assigned to the Blue Flag.
After the first evaluation, ten beaches were awarded a difference, which is usually highly publicized to potential visitors. In 2008, based on an evaluation conducted in 2007, 59 beaches retained the difference while eight beaches lost it. In 2009, out of 81 applicants, only 61 beaches won the difference, and only two earned a maximum of 5 stars, Playa Blanca in Punta Leona and Playa Langosta in Santa Cruz.
Voluntary Certification Program
Developed in 1997 by the Costa Rica Tourism Board, a public institution responsible for the development and regulation of tourism in the country, a Voluntary Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (known as CST) was introduced to transform the "sustainability concept into something tangible" by "improving the way in which natural and social resources are utilized, to motivate the active participation of local communities, and to support the competitiveness of the business sector. " The program is intended for all types of businesses in the tourism industry, but only begins with lodging providers. In 2007, a total of 108 parameters were considered for CST evaluation.
CST hopes to encourage businesses to become sustainable in a variety of ways, including using recycled products, applying water and energy-efficient devices, disposing and treating waste properly, preserving and expanding Costa Rica's forests, and developing better information management systems. As of October 2009, out of about 3,000 hotels and tour operators, only 105 have Certification for Sustainable Tourism. Several US and European tour operators are promoting several small hotels that hold this certification through their travel packages.
Etical Traveler Destination
Costa Rica is included in the 2011 and 2012 list of 10 Best Developing World's Ethics Goals . This is an annual ranking produced by Ethical Traveler magazine, which is based on the study of developing countries from around the world to identify the best tourism destinations among them. Benchmarking uses categories such as environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights.
Costa Rica has been absent from the list for several years as World Vision considers this country the most famous sexual predator destination in the world. Although the issue has not been entirely lost, Ethical Travelers incorporates Costa Rica back to the list of 2011 ethical goals due to the government's serious efforts to tackle human trafficking through raising public awareness campaigns, creating new offices aimed at human trafficking, and training officials.
Beach and adventure
Most of the major attractions are nature related, a combination of ecotourism with recreational and adventure activities: sun, sea and sand (55%); observation of flora and wildlife (44%); visited the volcano (43%); trekking (41%); bird watching (30%); canopy tour (26%), bungee jumping from bridge (11%); surfing (11%); snorkeling (10%); and rafting (7%). Cultural activities such as visiting museums, art galleries and theaters correspond to 11%, and business trips corresponding to 17%.
The seven Costa Rica resorts are included in Choice Choice Choice Choice 'Choice Nast Traveler' 2012, ranked among the top 15 resorts in Central and South America. The resort is Xandari Resort and Spa (2), Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica on the Peninsula Papagayo (3), Hotel Punta Islita (8), El Silencio Lodge and Spa (9), Los SueÃÆ' Â ± os Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort 11), Arenas del Mar (12) and Westin Playa Conchal, Resort and Spa at Playa Conchal (15). The award selection is based on surveys among magazine subscribers, who evaluate the quality of rooms, services, food, location, design, and resort activities. Two hotels are also selected by magazine readers among the top 5 in Central America, Hotel Grano de Oro (3) in San José and © Villa Caletas (4) in Puntarenas Central Pacific.
Major natural attractions
National Parks and Biological Reserves
In 2009, more than 1.2 million tourists visited national parks and protected wildlife sanctuaries, up from 812 thousand visitors in 2000 and 510 thousand in 1990. Since 2003, slightly more than half of visitors are international tourists. The most visited parks are Manuel Antonio, Tortuguero, Cahuita, and parks around the volcano PoÃÆ'¡s, Arenal and IrazÃÆ'º.
Other favorite national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are:
- Cocos Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ranks among the top 77 candidates in the contest to select 7 New Natural Wonders of the world.
- Area de ConservaciÃÆ'³n Guanacaste, UNESCO World Heritage Site,
- La Amistad International Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Costa Rica-Panama Border
- Corcovado National Park
- ChirripÃÆ'Â Taman National Park <
- TapantÃÆ' National Park
- Braulio Carrillo National Park
- La Selva Biological Station, Organization for Tropical Studies (private reserves)
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Monteverde, Puntarenas (private reserve)
Volcano
- Volcano PoÃÆ'¡s in Poas Volcano National Park, Alajuela.
- IrazÃÆ'º Volcano in Irazu National Park, Cartago.
- Arenal Volcano in Arenal National Park, Alajuela.
- Turrialba Volcano, in Turrialba Volcano National Park, Cartago.
- Tenorio Volcano National Park, where the popular Rio Celeste (the popular Blue River) is located, Guanacaste.
- RincÃÆ'³n de la Vieja in Mount Merapi National Park RincÃÆ'³n de la Vieja, Guanacaste.
Beach
See Coastline of Costa Rica
- Manuel Antonio Beach in Manuel Antonio National Park, listed by Forbes in 2011 among the 12 most beautiful national parks in the world.
- Cahuita Beach in Cahuita National Park, LimÃÆ'³n
- Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, LimÃÆ'³n
- Manzanillo Beach, LimÃÆ'³n
- Gandoca Beach, LimÃÆ'³n
- Tamarindo Beach, Guanacaste
- Playa Junquillal, Guanacaste
- Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste
- Conchal Beach, Guanacaste
- Jaco Beach, Puntarenas
- Herradura Beach, Puntarenas
- Montezuma Beach, Puntarenas
- Zancudo Beach, Puntarenas
Seven Costa Rican Wonders of Nature
Elected in 2007 by Costa Ricans through an open contest organized by leading newspapers as 7 natural wonders of Costa Rica, this natural site is one of the most popular destinations by foreign and domestic tourists, with the exception of Cocos Island, which is not easily accessible, since it is located in the Pacific Ocean, about 550 km (340 mi) from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Other activities and popular destinations
- SarchÃÆ', Alajuela, for souvenir shopping and typical products, including the popular Costa Rican beef carts.
- INBioparque, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Santo Domingo de Heredia.
- Lankester Botanical Garden, Cartago.
- OrosÃÆ' Colonial Church and historic site Ujarrá, Cartago.
- BasÃÆ'lica de Nuestra SeÃÆ' Â ± ora de los Angeles, (Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels), Cartago.
- Guayabo archeological site, Turrialba, Cartago.
- Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theater), San JosÃÆ'Â ©.
- Popular Teatro Melico Salazar (Popular Theater), San JosÃÆ'Â ©.
- Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura (National Center of Art and Culture), San JosÃÆ'Â ©.
- Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (National Museum), San José ©.
- Museo de Oro de Costa Rica Precolombino (Pre-Columbian Gold Museum), Costa Rica's Central Bank, San José ©.
- Museo de Jade, (Museum Jade), Instituto Nacional de Seguros en San Josà ©  ©.
- Museo FilatÃÆ'Â © lico de Costa Rica (Philatelic Museum)
- Museo Juan SantamarÃÆ'a en Alajuela
- Museo de los NiÃÆ' Â ± os, (Children's Museum), San JosÃÆ'Â ©.
- Parque ZoolÃÆ'³gico Nacional SimÃÆ'³n BolÃÆ'var, (National Zoo), San JosÃÆ'Â ©.
Medical Tourism
Costa Rica, along with Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile, is one of the Latin American countries that has become a popular destination for medical tourism. In 2009, Costa Rica received 30,000 international tourists seeking medical care, and spent about $ 250 million. Most of the medical tourists come from the United States and Canada. During 2010, the number of patients increased to 36,000 international tourists, with 40% of them receiving dental services. In 2011, that number continues to increase, eventually reaching 46,474.
Costa Rica is very attractive to American tourists because of its proximity and short flight, the quality of its medical services and health care system, and the lower medical costs. The country has 20 medical centers, including small clinics and private hospitals, with international certification, including two hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International.
American tourists prefer Costa Rica, along with Mexico and Panama, for dental services or cosmetic surgery. Costa Rica offers 30% to 50% savings compared to US costs for quality dental and cosmetic services, and appeals to these Americans without health insurance or search procedures not covered by their health insurance plan. Foreign patients have also found low-cost nonsurgical procedures and tests, for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in Costa Rica cost from $ 200 to $ 300, compared to over $ 1,000 in the United States. The average medical cost is 70% lower than in the US. Because of the natural attractions of the country, many health tourists combine their care with ecotourism and offer their families or friends a chance to be entertained when patients undergo medical procedures.
Beachside development
In many coastal areas, especially in the cities of Tamarindo and JacÃÆ'³, the real estate boom occurs when many foreigners from developed countries start buying beachfront property and building holiday homes and vacations as well as condominiums. These developments have really changed the lifestyles in these cities, and property prices are now so high that it becomes costly for Costa Rican people to own beachfront properties. In addition, the lack of planning for these developments has a negative social impact on small communities, because in some cases they are forced to move to places with inadequate infrastructure and where there is not enough job opportunities.
Hotel location and construction
There is also an isolated controversy over site location and construction of hotels and beach resorts that invade 50 meters (160 feet) of protected maritime public zone; also the case of one hotel located within a protected area; and some cases of resort development with severe negative impacts on existing flora and fauna, by removing construction waste that destroys coral reefs or fills the mangroves. As a result of this and other similar controversies, the Environmental Law 7554 was adopted in 1995 to require environmental impact studies prior to the hotel or other development authorized to begin construction.
Another source of pollution is the disposal of untreated waste into feeding rivers into coastal cities. In 2007, the Constitutional Court ordered the national government and 34 local governments to stop waste disposal to the RÃÆ'o Grande de TÃÆ'Ârcrcoles, to restore watersheds to contaminated conditions and to adopt an integrated solution to wastewater problems. Cities such as JacÃÆ'³ where tourism and real estate development have grown tenfold since 2004 underwent a backslash in September 2008 when the government blamed the local government of Garabito for high bacterial levels on the coast.
Recently, the controversy has occurred with the construction of Sardinal-El Coco-Ocotal waterways by private developers, as the Sardinal community protests loudly because they fear that scarce drinking water will be diverted to the development of tourism whose owners finance the pipeline. In May 2008, construction work was stopped by order of the local municipality. Developers and government authorities have explained the waterways are public, and that will be beneficial not only on the development of tourism but also the surrounding communities. Controversy continues on the real capacity of the Sardinal aquifer.
Sex tourism
The rapid growth of tourism also has the consequences of the country becoming a popular destination for sex tourism. Regardless of government and industry efforts, child sex trafficking has become a problem. A study estimates that "up to 10% of tourists coming to Costa Rica are involved in sex tourism", with as many as 10,000 sex workers involved, many of whom are immigrants. It is also reported that about 80% of sex tourists come from the US. This is largely because prostitution is not illegal but many activities around it are indeed illegal, like pimps.
See also
- Ecotourism in Costa Rica
- Guayabo archaeological site
- The island of Costa Rica
- List of airports in Costa Rica
- List of museums in Costa Rica
- Costa Rica National Park
- Costa Rican visa policy
References
External links
- Costa Rica, Condà © Nast Traveler
- The official website of the Costa Rica Tourism Network (ICT)
- Costa Rica Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program
- Costa Rica National Park
- Costa Rica & amp; Resorts - CondÃÆ' © Nast Traveler Gold List 2014
- Costa Rica's Guide, National Geographic
- The New York Times Travel Guide: Costa Rica
- Searching for 'Wild' Costa Rica, The New York Times, April 10, 2014.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments