The Global Trends in Tourism Nowadays: Ecotourism - Research Paper Example

Costa Rica Eco-friendly Resort Project Introduction The growing numbers of avid tourists and travelers across the world have, through time, shown a declining interest in hotel lined beaches and crowded theme parks, and have instead begun to take interest in the more exotic and touted as more exciting adventures offered by ecotourism (Honey, 1999). This new trend in tourism has taken travelers to various remote corners of the world exposing them to the diverse wildlife and cultures which have developed in relative isolation from the modern world (Ibid.). According to Egan (2001, pp 5-7), ecotourism, which is a relatively new trend in the tourism industry, has taken many travelers to various remote corners of the world, exposing them to many diverse wildlife and cultures that have been developing in relative isolation from the modern world, consequently making ecotourism one of the most interesting and therefore fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry (Ibid.). Rationale Costa Rica, unlike the other so-called Third World countries which are focusing on rapid urbanization and industrialization, has turned to ecotourism and considered it as its key to its goal of economic development (Dulude, 2000). Despite its relative smallness compared to other countries in Central America, Costa Rica is home to an incredible biodiversity highlighted by scenic beaches, lush rain forests, impressive volcanoes and a very exotic wildlife, with its tourist industry bringing in about one million visitors a year and generating approximately $1 billion annually, making tourism Costa Rica’s second largest income generator after the silicon chip production industry (Ibid.). Further, Costa Rica also has the following features which make it an ideal country for ecotourism, which also rationalize this paper’s overall concept of an eco-friendly resort business in the country, as follows: 1. Rich biodiversity. Costa Rica has an incredible biodiversity that can offer tourists – foreign and local alike – with a glimpse of mountains and volcanoes, as well as beaches and lush green rainforests that are all located within a relatively small region in the country (Garen, 2000). According to Lizano (2000, p17), there are about twenty-four national parks in Costa Rica that are covering its diverse flora and fauna, covering about twenty-one percent of the country’s territory, which includes twenty-eight percent of the country’s Indian reserves. 2. Strategic Location. Costa Rica is situated closely to the United States (US), which makes it ideal and strategic for its tourist industry, giving it a clear advantage over the ecotourism adventures offered by other equally poor nations in Africa and Asia, especially considering the fact that the US is the top tourist exporters with US travelers comprising about twenty percent of the world tourism market (American Embassy in San Jose, 2000). Costa Rica’s access to the North American market is of considerable advantage, with the US contributing nearly forty-nine percent (49%) to the overall number of Costa Rica’s foreign visitors, along with about nine percent from Canada and Mexico (Ibid.). 3. Assurance of Safety and Stability. Costa Rica’s political and social landscapes have been historically stable, and were only tainted with the turmoil that occurred in the neighboring countries of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras (Richter, 1992). Nevertheless, after the violence and overall unrest in its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has since been able to rise above and distinguish itself from the rest of the Central American countries, having been able to maintain its political stability, preserve its strong democratic institutions, as well as manage and maintain a low violent crime rate, which make the country an attractive and ideal place for vacations and tourist adventures (Weaver, 1998). 4. Strong Environmental Lobby. A crucial selling point for Costa Rica is its reputation among environmentalists, as it has been considered by most environmentalists as the home to the one of the most well-preserved biodiversity across the globe. This has been backed by an influential environmental lobby as incited by the “green industry” (p26), with the recognition of the fact that although the immediate costs of increased environmental regulations on travel services may at first injure profits, the long term benefits of having an environmentally-friendly image as a nation have encouraged the ecotourism industry to fully support the government’s conservation initiatives (Kaimowitz, 1997). 5. Offers Higher Living Standards. Costa Rica’s standard of living is relatively higher as compared to most of the developing nations, and thus has been known as the “Switzerland of Central America” (p83), which gives it another advantage in the tourism industry (Weaver, 1998). With a per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 46,700, literacy rate of 95% and female life expectancy of seventy-nine years, Costa Rica has the advantage of being able to offer a look at a way of life that is distinct from the modern world but still allows tourists to largely avoid the depressing and sad sights of the reality of poverty in the Third World (Ibid.). 6. Strong International Support. An essential factor that greatly supports Costa Rica’s ecotourism industry is the political and financial support that it gets from the international institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and even the US. The US Agency for International Development (USAID), for instance, has been actively promoting environmental protection and ecotourism in Costa Rica through various skills and capability trainings as well as seed capitalization for various ecotourism projects of the local communities (Dulude, 2000). It is, therefore, a sound business idea to establish an eco-friendly luxury resort in Costa Rica, as herein presented and detailed. Project Description Location The proposed project is an eco-friendly luxury resort in Costa Rica, which will be situated within Guanacaste Region, primarily for its accessibility and all-year-round tourism appeal, which means that during dry season, the place is ideal for sunbathing and beach lazing activities; and during wet season, the place is beautifully adorned with flowers in full bloom and lush greeneries all around. The whole of Guanacaste boasts of great expanses of golden grasses and gnarled Guanacaste trees dot the low hills providing spectacular scenery which any visitor will find dramatic and memorable. Bordered by two mountain ranges, Guanacaste also offers beautiful white sand beaches which make it an ideal place to locate a luxury resort. Eco-friendly concept Indigenous workforce. The Guanacaste Region is surrounded by communities of native people who are either farmers or raise cattle on vast ranches, and most of them go to the urban centers to find jobs and earn for their families. These people will be trained and provided with service skills necessary for the resort operations, like service crew, bar attendants, housekeepers, tourist guides, etc. All-native, all organic food. All-organic gardens of vegetables, fruits, and herbs will be established within the community surrounding the resort, which will become the primary sources of supplies for the restaurant of the resort. Further, native cuisine of Costa Rica, particularly of Guanacaste, will be served so that there will be no need to introduce new plant species which may potentially displace the indigenous ones. Likewise, all-organic cattle, poultry and swine will be established in communities where it is ideal to raise livestock and poultry (i.e., reasonable distance from the resort, as well as from the ocean to avoid polluting the important body of water), which will also be the main suppliers of meat products for the resort’s needs. All-organic vegetables and meat products ensure that raising them do not harm the environment through harmful chemicals that organic fertilizers have, as well as they provide better nourishment for the body, thereby ensuring the resort’s guests of all-healthy and natural food. Solar-powered facility. Consistent with the preservation of the environment and the campaign to help resolve the concern in global warming, the whole resort facility will use solar power for its energy needs, especially for the electricity needs in the resort hotel. However, basic energy-saving measures will still be employed so that the use of energy from the solar panels will still be minimal. For instance, the infrastructures like the restaurants, villas near the beach and the six-storey hotel further towards the low hills will be constructed utilizing the abundantly growing indigenous materials that the natives also use for their houses. Materials like bamboo and palm leaves will be incorporated into the whole architectural concept primarily to ensure that the rooms and lounges and halls have good weather adoption (e.g., not too warm when sunny and not too cold when rainy) so that there will be less need for air conditioners or electric fans or heaters. Light-saving architectural designs will also be implemented so that there will be no need for artificial light during daytime. Proper waste management. The resort facility will be operated and organized in such a way that all its wastes will be properly disposed of, especially solid wastes. Compost pits will be made and incorporated within the landscape of the whole place so that aesthetics will not suffer also. Such compost pits will be used for the biodegradable wastes which are separate from the non-biodegradables, which on the other hand, will be brought to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which the resort will maintain outside of its vicinity but within the community, managed in collaboration with the local community’s government unit. The restaurants also will observe waste minimization practices, mainly by using washable utensils instead of the environmentally hazardous styro products and plastic cups. Use of ecologically friendly products. To further ensure that the resort is eco-friendly, all its disposable consumable supplies like table napkins, toilet papers, laundry bags, and toiletry kits for their guests will be made mostly of recycled materials or all-organic biodegradables. Hygienic recycled toilet papers and table napkins will be used; recycled paper bags will be used for laundry bags instead of the usual plastic bags; toiletry kits for the guests as well as for every common rest room will be of all-natural, all-organic products like soaps, shampoos, and lotions locally made mainly from natural organic materials such as coconut oil or palm oil which is essentially good for the skin and scalp as well. Over-all eco-friendly operations. The resort facility, although a luxury vacation place with all the amenities of comfort and convenience to the guests, will be run with strong consciousness about not creating large carbon footprints1 by making the whole place and its surrounding premises smoke-free (e.g. no cigarette/tobacco smoking; no open air burning; etc.); by implementing the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ for its wastes through proper waste management; by preserving the trees and all the natural flora and fauna of the place by incorporating them into the whole landscape; and, by all the other above-mentioned measures to ensure that the resort facility does not add more stress to the environment. Likewise, information and education materials will be available for the guests to be educated about the whole concept and be able to appreciate and voluntarily cooperate to the whole scheme. Marketing Scheme The facility will be marketed to both foreign and local tourists via its website as well as working business links with prominent international travels and tours companies to target those travelers who want natural adventure and fun while helping preserve the environment, which will not be difficult to reach because of the growing trend in ecotourism consciousness among various groups and cultures worldwide. Also, endorsements by reputable environmental advocacy institutions, like Greenpeace or the United Nations Committee on Environment, will be sought to draw the market on the academe and the civil society sectors. Attractive package tours around Costa Rica, highlighted by visits to any or all of the twenty-four National Parks will be created as main activities, as well as opportunities to experience the resort’s own eco-friendly adventures within its premises (e.g., mini adventure to the hills to see the natural flora and fauna of the place and also to interact with the local people who will prepare the all-natural food for the guests, etc.). Conclusion Given the global trends in tourism nowadays, which has been more focused on ecotourism, and given the viability of Costa Rica as an ecotourism site, this type of project is relevant and appropriate, as well as potentially profitable, provided that proper risk assessment is done to mitigate or minimize the risks that may cause the project to fail. It is therefore recommended that more detailed feasibility study be conducted about this project. Bibliography Adams, L.J. 2000. Panama makes effort to challenge Costa Rica as rich ecotourism area. 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