There may just be a “silver lining” for Costa Rica in the economic cloud hanging over the U.S. these days. Costa Rica’s tourism sector and the powers that be that regulate it have long been focused on the concept of ”sustainable tourism.” The Tourism Ministry (ICT) sponsors a program entitled Certificate for Sustainable Tourism that is open for all hotels and tour operators. I recently posted about the CST Program. It measures the commitment of an enterprise to sustainability on four factors that include environmental impacts, internal policies such as energy conservation and waste management, and social interaction with its clients and with the community at large. Lately I have observed through emails from Canatur (the Tourism Chamber) that sustainability seems to be on every-one’s mind. In the short-term, all of us in the tourism industry may feel some pain from the economic turmoil, coupled with the fact that it is a presidential election year. Heck, I am already feeling it. I don’t believe you can seriously try to compare it with the slowdown experienced in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. During that period people were just downright afraid to travel anywhere. The current economic issue is more of a wait and see problem. People are too focused on what is going to happen between now and the November election day and just aren’t predisposed to make vacationing decisions until then. In the medium to long-term, the fact that folks will be watching their dollars a little more closely may mean that they will make vacation choices closer to home and to places that are affordable, like, for instance, Costa Rica!
But where does ”sustainability” fit into the picture. Well the centerpiece of both presidential candidates’ economic (and national security) policies is their energy policy. The U.S. desires energy independence and the focus in the coming years will likely be on, you guessed it, sustainability in terms of energy conservation and utilization of clean and renewable sources. This is not only due to the recent rises in prices of energy, but also concerns about global warming and national security (as John McCain often remarks, “we are sending too much money to buy oil from countries that don’t like us very much”). In other words, sustainability is and will be “in vogue” for the next decade. Costa Rica offers a great platform for practicing sustainability. After all, it is one of the world’s most important natural playgrounds. Developers will likely be attracted to Costa Rica to create and showcase developments that are models of sustainability. Take the proposed development in Guanacaste by Steve Case (founder of AOL) for example. Tourists equally interested in the concept of sustainability will look at vacationing in Costa Rica as a way to make them feel good about themselves, environmentally speaking, and will be a way to “show-off” as to how environmentally minded they are.
On a purely economic motivational level, wealthy Americans who are concerned about the socialistic leanings of an Obama administration, may look at Costa Rica as a viable option for retirement, or to relocate in pursuit of commercial endeavors, perhaps with environmentally sustainable tourism. Retirees on fixed incomes also may look at Costa Rica as a more affordable option for retirement living than the U.S. (the weather, beaches, mountains, and overall natural beauty of the place doesn’t hurt either). These economic motivations aren’t new. They have been at work for some time, but may be accelerated due to current economic and political conditions in the U.S.
All of the above may mean that Costa Rica’s tourism grows as sustainable development grows. Costa Rica has been of interest to the U.S. for the past decade or more, primarily due to proximity and the fact that it offers a little bit of paradise for all ages and interests groups. The sustainability movement may give rise to a new level of interest as the environmental consciousness of the world rises. As I heard Bill O’Reilly quip the other night, if the U.S. goes to hell in a hand-basket, “we’ll all have to move to Costa Rica.” I say come on down, the water is nice. But mind your manners while you are here!
Corcovado National Park, located on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, is truly a wonder of nature. The park possesses some 2.5% of the total biological diversity of the planet. It is home to a small population of jaguars, America’s largest big cat and an animal that is in grave danger of becoming completely extinct. It is estimated that only around 50 jaguars remain in the park. One of their principal sources of food, the chancho de monte, that has been on the endangered list itself, is now making a comeback. This is good news for the jaguars. Hopefully the resurgence in the population of this popular meal for the felines will help their species also recuperate a bit. Another amazing fact is that the park contains 36% of the venomous snakes found in Costa Rica. Eight of the twenty-two total venomous snakes of Costa Rive live in Corcovado (there are 137 species of snakes in total in Costa Rica, but 115 of those are not venomous). These include three species of coral snakes, the sea snake as well as the dreaded terciopelo (the deadliest snake in Costa Rica and one of the most prolific). In total the park is home to some 140 species of mammals and 6,000 insects. For those of you that are not afraid of the snakes, or jaguars, or insects (among other things), you can contact me at Package Costa Rica if interested in a tour of Corcovado National Park.
