New study on "boom and bust" coastal tourism in Costa Rica

The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is releasing today a new study analyzing the “boom and bust” of coastal sun-and-sand resort and real estate development on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. This multi-dimensional study, carried out over two years by some two dozen researchers in Costa Rica and the U.S., is the first comprehensive examination of the growth, trends, and impacts of tourism and tourism-related development along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, with particular focus on the years between 2002 and 2009.

At a press conference today in San Jose, CREST co-directors William Durham and Martha Honey, together with several of the researchers, presented the study’s key findings and policy recommendations. The CREST Co-Directors are also meeting with several top government officials to discuss the key policy recommendations emerging from the study.

Speaking at the press conference, Costa Rica’s former first lady, Margarita Penon, a member of the study’s eleven person Advisory Committee, said that the study’s findings are “critically important to our understanding of the risks that rapid and poorly planned coastal tourism development are posing to our successful model of nature-based ecotourism.” The study compares the increasingly dominant models of coastal and marine tourism – characterized by large resorts, vacation homes (“residential tourism”), and cruise tourism – with Costa Rica’s internationally acclaimed model for high value, nature-based ecotourism.

Over the last decade, Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has become one of the epicenters of rapid beach resort and vacation home development closely tied to the U.S. market. The research traces the origins of this coastal transformation from the 1970s to the present, with particular focus on the real estate and construction boom and bust caused by the international economic crisis.

The research project includes 18 individual studies, written in either English or Spanish, which are posted on the center’s website: www.responsibletravel.org. In addition, CREST is releasing today the Summary Report in English and Spanish, also available online, that pulls together the most salient points from all 18 studies.

Suzuki Strings entertains rural Costa Rica!

The Suzuki Strings Group from Boulder Colorado just completed a whirlwind 9-day tour of rural communities all over Costa Rica. They did two concerts in the Palmichal area, in the hills south of San José. Then they went to Montealto, a forest reserve and lodge near Hojancha, in Guanacaste Province, and performed at the Salón Comunal. They enjoyed a day at beautiful Playa Carrillo as well! Then they were off to La Casona in El Tanque, east of Arenal Volcano. They spent a day in the village of Juanilama, where organic pineapples are grown, and entertained at the local school. Another concert was at the La Fortuna Church. Canopy tours, hot springs and volcano viewing were included in their trip.
Kyra Cruz, director of ACTUAR, wrote to the group after their tour, saying "Thank you for letting us bring the Suzuki Strings to Costa Rica's communities. We heard very nice things about the concerts and I am sure that this was a very rewarding experience for the village children.  I wish we could have more visitors like you in our country!!!"
I invite the 21 Suzuki Strings participants to share their photos and stories here.

Special rice tamales at El Descanso!

At El Descanso they prepared tamales de arroz, a special form of tamales that are used on special occasions. Doña Eulalia, one of the owners of the lodge, took us to the open air cooking area behind the kitchen and showed us how they put raw, seasoned rice and meat in a leaf of the bijagua or calatea plant.
They wrap it all up in a neat little bundle, then put the tamales to boil over an open fire for several hours.
In the US, and in Costa Rica too, tamales are usually made of corn. It's beautiful how the rice expands inside its leafy package during the boiling process to make a delicious treat that was ready for us to eat when we returned from Boruca.

Why The New Key to Costa Rica leaves out the northern Guanacaste beaches

I came across a review of The New Key to Costa Rica at amazon, by a reader named M Seeley. He starts out saying "Be forewarned: this author - a seriously left-wing Socialist Greenie treehugger - has an agenda." and goes on to say:
"If you want to go to Central America and volunteer to dig ditches for the poor, this book is right up your alley. However, if you're looking to go on vacation and relax or see the country instead of seeking some kind of redemption, well you've got your nerve! (LOL). And the author has the gall (in this newest version) to eliminate EVERY hotel (green or not) in the ENTIRE province of Guanacaste because the infrastructure doesn't satisfy her eco requirements. Wow. I guess we won't be helping any poor folks in that area. So... if you looking for info on Flamingo Beach, Playa Hermosa, Coco, or Tamarindo, you're out of luck there." He further states "The author does know Costa Rica well, but It's too bad she couldn't be more objective. Yes, I'm environmentally minded and surely do want to go to eco places, but pretending other places don't exist is just silly."

M Seeley is misinformed. I have good reasons for leaving out the beaches of northern Guanacaste. Here is my reply:

Dear M Seeley,
I'd like to respond to several points in your review of my book, The New Key to Costa Rica, 19th edition.
First of all, Costa Rica's ruling party, Liberación Nacional, is a social democratic party. Why was Costa Rica not at war during the 70's and 80's like the rest of Central America? Because Liberación Nacional nationalized the banks, the telecommunications and electricity systems, insurance, and health care in 1949-50, all as a way of benefiting the population. Thus there were less poverty, better education, and better safety nets in Costa Rica, and a rising middle class. The socialized institutions have now become overly bureaucratic, but they served during the 50's, 60's and 70's to create prosperity and well-being for the Costa Rican people.
Costa Rica's reputation in tourism is built on its "treehugging" policies, with over 25% of the country in some kind of protection. So being green and understanding the value of democratic socialism are consistent with understanding why Costa Rica is what it is today.
Nowhere in my book do I mention volunteering to "dig ditches for poor people". I do try to draw the reader's attention to the network of 30 Costa Rican communities that own their own ecolodges. So rather than the Costa Ricans digging ditches and being gardeners and maids at foreign-owned ecolodges, they have the chance to build and own their own ecotourism businesses. These places are not only stunningly beautiful, but provide the experience of getting to know the people who live in the place you are visiting. Relaxation and adventure are easy to find at these and all destinations mentioned in my book.  Owning their own lodges helps people stay on their land, creates jobs for their families, and helps them preserve their forests, rivers, and traditional culture.
It is erroneous for you to say "And the author has the gall (in this newest version) to eliminate EVERY hotel (green or not) in the ENTIRE province of Guanacaste because the infrastructure doesn't satisfy her eco requirements."
My book has a 44-page chapter on Guanacaste Province, including the southern beaches. I do not include the beaches of northern Guanacaste because there is widespread agreement that the amount of tourism there has outstripped the capacity of the local infrastructure. Local communities have sued Guanacaste hotels because there is not enought water left for residents. Many beaches that formerly received the government's ecological Blue Flag rating have lost it because of high levels of contamination in the water. While this edition was being researched the government had to shut down two hotels in Guanacaste for dumping raw sewage in the sea! If anyone is pretending, it is those who trust that when they take a long luxurious shower or flush a toilet on their relaxing beach vacation, that there exists a water and sewer system that is handling it all in a responsible way. Most successful hotels in Costa Rica have their own septic systems, but there are very few sewage treatment plants. Tourism has developed rapidly, and the infrastructure has not caught up.

My main point is that tourism has a direct effect on the communities you visit. Communities can choose to take responsibility for their relationship with tourism. They can choose to maintain it at a sustainable level, but if they let it get beyond that, they have to pay for appropriate infrastructure.

After 28 years of writing and updating this book, I am saddened to see village after village lose its soul to the monster of mass tourism. I support community tourism because I hope that it can give pristine villages a fighting chance to determine what they want from tourism rather than being overwhelmed by it. The beaches of northern Guanacaste long ago lost any pretense of being Costa Rican. My book is for people who would like to experience Costa Rica while they are there. If they would prefer to relax in an atmosphere that is more like Florida or California, then there are plenty of Costa Rica guidebooks and glossy brochures to meet their needs.
Learn more about my travel planning services at www.keytocostarica.com