Ecotourism in Costa Rica Jay and Nazly

Ecotourism in Costa Rica Jay and Nazly

Locational Context and Trends Population: 4 million 1. 5 million tourists per year

Monteverde

La Fortuna

Arenal Mundo Aventura

Arenal Volcano

Transport

Impacts of Eco. Tourism “likely to cause more harm than good” Selective benefit “Trojan horse to gain entry to areas otherwise denied” Solution: Certification unclear standards, not well known “greenwash for few companies- largely western owned”

Established 2003 by World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) Only a symbol of commitment, not of achievement High fees Affiliation fee: $220 Benchmark sticker: S $395, M $1610, L $7500 Certification fee: ? ?

Sustain Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) Accreditation body by UNWTO, UNEP, TIES, Rainforest Alliance, etc only regional network setup High operational costs High fee for accreditation status

Criticism on Certification Until demand increases, efforts doomed “flawed and self-serving concept…[only for] First World interests” Awards given to hotels and tour operators that only super-rich can afford X role models “Tourism is essentially egocentric, and escapist activity”

Social impact of ecotourism increase in local awareness of their env : “eliticist construct”=> patronizes local communities Imposing artificial “zooified” lifestyle Ignorance of local ppl’s aspirations for higher living standards “form of voyeurism” :

Environmental Impact of Eco. T Evidence that animal activities are disturbed May result in destruction of the very thing ppl come to see Big hotels require large amount of resources and facilities : ◦ Golf course, spa, swimming pool, etc

Economic impact of Eco. T Increased employment : Increased foreign investments : Increase in real-estate prices due to foreign operators and investors :

Solutions Need rules on density and capacity ethical code among companies on visitor limits Stop promoting mass tourism; need fewer tourists who pay more More caretakers Guidelines for building in sensitive areas Certification becoming mandatory from voluntary

Interesting Sites Successful Ecotourism in Costa Rica http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Me ynz. Qz 4 SXk Ecotourism explained by Duke U profs http: //www. biology. duke. edu/bio 217/ 2005/cmp 8/index. html