Costa Rica Top Ranking Ecotourism spot in Latin America

This past October, the Certification for Sustainable Tourism program awarded the 68th business in Costa Rica with a certification; a 17 business jump since 2006. This makes Costa Rica the top-ranking spot amongst the 167 certified businesses throughout all of Latin America.
According to the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel in the Americas, businesses are [...]

This past October, the Certification for Sustainable Tourism program awarded the 68th business in Costa Rica with a certification; a 17 business jump since 2006. This makes Costa Rica the top-ranking spot amongst the 167 certified businesses throughout all of Latin America.

According to the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel in the Americas, businesses are starting to execute responsible business practices in order to meet up with the demands of tour operators and agencies that are putting money into green travel. Businesses are able to market their certifications to consumers, boosting their credibility.

Ronald Sanabria, Director of the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable tourism program, says that “Independent third-party certification ensures that businesses are meeting a set of environmental and social standards and can also help businesses identify areas where they can improve.”

Hot on the heels of Costa Rica was Guatemala with 39 businesses certified by Green Deal, up from 20 in 2006. Green Globe 21 certified 36 businesses in seven Caribbean countries, 12 in Mexico and one each in Bolivia and Chile. There were 10 businesses in Ecuador certified by Smart Voyager.

With a $1.9-billion-a-year tourism industry, Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007, thus reaching a rate of foreign tourists per capita de 0,46, one of the highest in the Caribbean Basin. Most of the tourists come from the U.S. (54%) and the E.U. (14%), which translates into a relatively high expenditure per tourist of $1000 per trip. In 2005, tourism contributed with 8,1% of the country’s GNP and represented 13,3% of direct and indirect employment.

Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism. In terms of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, in 2007 Costa Rica reached the 41st place in the world ranking, being the first among Latin American countries. Just considering the subindex measuring human, cultural, and natural resources, Costa Rica ranks in the 20th place at a worldwide level.