Tourism in Costa Rica Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism in Costa Rica - Research Paper ExampleIn addition to this, Costa Rica has one of the most extensive and well-developed national park systems in all of Latin America. An aerial tram which takes visitors by cable motorcar over the top of the rain forest is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Costa Rica (Liu et al., 2008, p. 259).Prior to the 1980s when Costa Ricas popularity increased, the states hotel industry was small. As demand grew, many Costa Ricans entered the hotel business. The majority of new hotels were owned and operated by inexperienced individuals who learned the business by trial and error. A small number of hotels were run by foreign chains operating in Costa Rica using both staff and management from their global operations. presently after, a number of local hotel operators began working with a number of foreign hotel operators as joint-venture partners. Marriott Hotels was one of these companies. This system worked so well in Costa Rica that a n umber of other countries in the region, including Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama, began to use the same formula. These joint-venture partnerships were characterized by a majority of local shareholders, a minority stake by the international chain and a strong training and development component (Liu et al., 2008, p. 260).Increased environmental awareness and the growing interest in ecotourism can cause contrary priorities for exotic locations such as Costa Rica. While the country must promote itself as a tourist attraction, it must also protect the countrys natural resources. The demands of sustainability and economic growth can be in conflict (Liu et al., 2008, p. 259).In order to remain a tourist attraction and unravel the life cycle of its attractiveness, a country must know a great deal about its international visitors as they are the ones who are in the first place responsible for the destinations tourists (Liu et al., 2008, p. 260).