Ecotourism Costa Rica
November 10, 2009
International Support – Finally, the development of Costa Rica’s ecotourism industry was both politically and financially supported by the IMF, World Bank, and the United States. For instance, the US Agency for International Development has long been active in promoting environmental protection and ecotourism in Costa Rica by training park rangers and guides, funding conservation efforts, and setting up the Agricultural School for the Humid Tropical Region, or EARTH by it’s Spanish acronym. (USAID, 1996). In addition, the World Bank recently approved a $40 million loan for Costa Rica, a large portion of which will focus on ecotourism, including a unique program of paying landowners not to cut down their forests. (Dulude, 2000). This international support, along with a solid credit rating with international lenders, gives Costa Rica a degree of financial stability in handling the substantial costs of developing an ecotourism industry.
