Current tourism development stage, vision and strategy

Costa Rica has experienced steady economic expansion over the past 25 years and is also a global leader for its environmental policies and accomplishmens. The tourism brand has successfully developed over the past two decades. Costa Rica has earned its reputation as the preeminent nature and ecotourism destination in the world, supported by strong attributes of political stability and local hospitality. According to Costa Rica’s official visitors site, “Visitors can enjoy lovely tropical beaches, grand adventures, the wonders of nature, and scintillating culture; all the necessary components of an ideal vacation”. Tourist arrivals increased by 10% to 2.925 million in 2016. Tourism itself is one of the largest contributors to GDP with 12.9% of total employment in Costa Rica.

 

Costa Rica's current position within Butler's lifecycle is likely to be in a high development stage. Tourism started to develop in the 1970’s. Ecotourism activity started in 1987 when Costa Rica started to maximize their natural wealth for the society’s economic growth, while still preserving their natural environment. In the period 1990 to the year 2000 international arrivals grew close to 150% to 1,088 mio. In 2016, tourist’s arrivals were 2,925 mio.

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Costa Rica’s tourism development vision is braced in the current National Tourism Plan 2017-2021 made by ICT. The emerging vision of Costa Rica’s future is to maintain the current conditions through which the tourism system can continue to evolve without losing any elements of sustainability. The tourism industry will remain the leading sector of generating foreign currency. Moreover, it will have broad territorial coverage and impact on the welfare of communities, due to the bonding with companies of all scales competing for quality, innovation and productivity. The positioning will be based on the quality of the visitor’s experiences offered by products of high added value in terms of sustainability and in the characteristics and culture of the locals.

 

Prefarable Vision for 2025

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Goal 1: Establish Costa Rica as the most preferable ecotourism destination in the world by 2025.

This goal is ambitious, and it will require staying ahead of the competitors. Whether the goal is achieved by 2025 can be measured through market research, which­ will need to be done immediately and in 2025. The conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity will be most important. The main stakeholder that can help achieving this goal is the central Government, which should make policies for the citizens to conserve nature in private and public areas, as well as making clear regulations to stop people from damaging nature. There are several strategies that ICT can facilitate in this goal.

Strategy 1: Spreading awareness of the importance of conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity.

Focussing on the central government since they have the most power. ICT should pressure the central government to run the policies of conserving nature. ICT should work together with NPO’s such as CANAECO and CANATUR spreading awareness among the public and private sector and use the coverage of different media outlets to spread this strategy.

Strategy 2: Expanding environmental education and consciousness raising.

ICT should provide educational programs for citizens. Different programs should be made to educate all age groups, since they require a different way of teaching. Motion graphics can be used to educate younger age groups while the older generation might require more conservative teaching methods and social advertisement. Educational programs such as seminars, symposiums and conferences can also be held for private and public organizations.

Strategy 3: Increase awareness of ecotourism of the target markets.

Within this strategy, ICT should collaborate with tourism agencies and local tour operators to explain positive aspects of the natural environment in Costa Rica. Tourists will gain a deeper understanding of how to treat Costa Rica’s environment during their stay. Improving consciousness and understanding the value of nature will raise tourist’s responsibility to conserve the natural heritage and biodiversity.

 

Goal 2: Increase the number of women led tourism businesses by 20% by 2025.

This goal focuses on the empowerment of the woman in Costa Rica. More women owning or managing a tourism related company will help close the gap in gender equality, which will help Costa Rica develop socially.

Strategy 1: Awarding scholarships for outstanding female students to continue their study for tourism and hospitality studies.

To accomplish this strategy, ICT will need to involve stakeholders like the universities, students, government and the media. Universities could award scholarships to outstanding students and motivate them to continue their studies in the field of tourism. Students will need to become aware of the possibility of getting a scholarship. This should be done by promoting the opportunity. This can be done through the media, both local and nationwide. A social media campaign can help spreading the news among students.

Strategy 2: Training and educating all stakeholders on the importance of women’s participation in decision-making processes and policy making in the tourism sector.

For this strategy, a cooperation of all stakeholders in the tourism industry is of great importance. ICT should set up an educational program which teaches all stakeholders related to the tourism industry. The government should lead by example by participating women in policy and decision making. Non-profit organizations can contribute by giving guidance to the government and the private sector.

Strategy 3: Encouraging women to become entrepreneurs and managers in the tourism sector.

ICT can provide educational programs for women about entrepreneurship and management. The government should facilitate loans for females to start their own business. The government or ICT should provide work facilities for these entrepreneurs to start, and offer them assistance with the process of starting a business. ICT should cooperate with tour operators and travel agencies to help getting tourists in female owned or managed shops and companies.

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Goal 3: Extend the average length of stay of tourists by 2 more days.

This specific goal fulfils the vision in the point that the tourism sector will remain the leading sector of income for the country. To achieve this, the focus will be on extending the average stay, rather than focussing on the increase of arrivals. An increase in the number of tourists is likely to occur by itself, and therefore there will be no specific focus on the issue.

Strategy 1: Increase the number of overnight stays in locally owned accommodation.

For this strategy ICT will need to work together with accommodation providers. ICT should set up a platform where all local accommodation owners are connected to ensure the exchange ideas and give them a voice. Promoting locally owned accommodation, by working together with travel agencies and tour operators. ICT should facilitate local accommodation owners to connect with OTA’s, so they can promote their own accommodation without spending money on promotion.

Strategy 2: Develop a concept of zoning tourism destination areas with their unique supply.

The physical development of tourism destination areas will be made by a concept of zoning. Rural areas (see figure 1) should be visited more frequently. This will require a cooperation with the government and private transport companies to increase accessibility. This strategy will improve the opportunity for citizens in rural areas to profit from tourism. Spreading tourists throughout the country will also prevent the natural environment from getting damaged by overcrowding.

Strategy 3: Implement a marketing plan to promote Costa Rica as a manifold ecotourism destination in the markets of interest.

ICT should promote Costa Rica as a destination which offers several ecotourism activities. Therefore, ICT needs to cooperate with relevant stakeholders such as tour operators, travel agencies and locals. Through cooperating together with relevant stakeholders, a marketing plan can be made. Through advertising campaigns through social media, tourists will become aware that ecotourism can be combined with rural and adventure tourism. This means that they would not only come for ecotourism but also spend time on rural and adventure activities. This could in turn lead to the intention to extend their stay.

 

Based on the explanation above, the new vision is a realistic vision for tourism development in Costa Rica in 2025. As explained before, sustainability, equality, and local engagement will ensure the development of tourism without reducing competitiveness.

In this case, North America as the largest market with a percentage of about 52% will be maintained and will remain first priority as it is closer located to Costa Rica which underlines the idea of sustainability. This vision will ensure market satisfaction and spread the market evenly to different regions of Costa Rica. This will provide more satisfaction to the market and improve the quality of local communities more evenly from the tourism sector.