Tourism #3

The tourism part of Costa Rica has been in full swing since I've been down here. It feels that almost everything to do is catered towards tourists. Every souvenir shop or even markets are all priced with dollars instead of colones. The entire country fulfills everyone’s lifestyle from thrill seekers to beach vacationers to family attractions. One thing that I´ve noticed is the huge amount of jobs that rely on me, the consumer, to spend money. For example, the trip to the OSA required a series of boat drivers and jeep drivers, and the employees at the resort that we stayed at. Once we were there we snorkeled which involved boat drivers and snorkeling experts. We also did a tour through the National Park which required a tour guide. A few things that I initially didn´t realize that was connected to tourism was the restaurants that we eat at and all of the different souvenir shops that we spend our money.

I would say that Costa Rica’s incredible amount of diversity and warm climate make the country a hot spot for any vacationer. Where else in the world can you find the eye lash pit vipers, monkeys, poison dart frogs, and tarantulas all on one nature hike. What makes Costa Rica so nice is that the entire country isn´t over industrialized. Even though the standard of living is much lower than the US, I feel that if the country was a lot richer it would become too industrialized and would lose a lot of tourism. I feel the only reason that I would come back is for the experience with nature and the feeling that not a whole lot of people are around me. And when Costa Rica starts to lose that feeling I believe tourism will be hurt the most.