Harvesting the Good Earth
for Years to Come

I said it once last year and I’ll say it again: we have to find a permanent solution to preserve our protected areas (national parks, biological reserves, etc.) and we must continue working to prevent crime against tourists.

We can’t ignore these sensitive aspects, not even for one minute, because its decline may have a negative impact on last year’s rising number of visitors. As part of the added value we provide our members, Costa Rica’s National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) took concrete actions to address these topics, such as the information program in the Santamaría International Airport.

However, the rapid growth in the tourist visitation rates has a catch. According to information gathered by CANATUR, during this high season we rejected an important number of potential reservations because of lack of accommodations.

This situation must get us on the move immediately so that government organizations can start an aggressive campaign to attract foreign and national investors. The initiative must include credit options with adequate terms, guidelines that are both clear and enforced, incentives (not necessarily tax related) that make tourism investments more appealing, and other aspects specific to companies within the industry.

If we can expand the tourism supply to the levels of the growing demand, then we’ll be able to maintain the increasing number of tourists we’ve had in the last years. Let’s be positive, let’s do whatever it takes so that the country continues planting the right seed and the harvest improves year after year.

William Rodríguez, President
National Chamber of Tourism of Costa Rica
For comments or information, please contact us at: E-mail: info@naturallycostarica.co.cr
Melba Lewis Thomas, Marketing and Sale • naturallycr@canatur.org • Tel. (506) 234-6222 • Cel. (506) 367-1798 • Fax (506) 253-8102