The Crisis Has Played its Part to Realign The Country’s Priorities with its Reputation.

Costa Rica has proven to be more than a fading buzz-word travel destination. Its appeal and local tourism and real estate industries have not only endured the financial crisis, they have grown and adapted to a new generation of discerning travelers and investors. In fact, the economic slow down has given these industries a bit of relief from the rapid growth they had been experiencing, allowing them room to breath and mature in a healthier climate. The result is that Costa Rica is reemerging more aligned to the ideals and image that it has always been known for: environmental conservation, sustainable development and a wide range of quality travel options that appeal all visitors.

Despite its idyllic reputation, the reality in this small Central American nation has, at times, been another. Greedy developers, short-sighted politicians and get-rich-quick schemers have long seen through the charm of the nation’s beaches to the money making opportunities. Maritime zone laws were infringed upon, sewage water dumped carelessly into the sea and the investment into local communities minimal. These realities were happily left out of the packaged Costa Rica product that the Costa Rica Tourism Institute ICT continued to shove down the throats of foreign consumers.

However, former critics are slowly being proved wrong as the self-fulfilling prophetic seed of eco-awareness has been planted and is sprouting away in Costa Rica. The country has become a Mecca for nature lovers, bird watchers and Green living pioneers. Those that arrived to find the country less than clean are doing their part to correct this, and turn it into the nature lover’s utopia as seen in the advertisements.

The peace loving administration of Oscar Arias has taken it upon themselves to promote the same values in the youth of the country with tree-planting programs and the nation wide goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. Ex- hunters, slash-and-burn farmers and fishermen are finding salvation and money in the tourism industry, leaving behind their destructive ways to teach others about conserving the bio-diversity that their communities are blessed with. This education, offered by way of free English and Tourism classes, or within the country’s strong Tourism studies at its public universities, is bringing about a new generation of tourism employees and entrepreneurs that are set to up national wide tourism standards and service.

Even the real estate industry has been forced to take a step back due to the fortuitous events of the economic crisis. While multimillion dollar developments have been put on pause due to lack of financing, municipalities under public scrutiny are starting to better supervise existing developments and new construction, requiring sewage treatment plants to be installed and illegal beachfront properties taken down. With the slow down to demand, the industry has moved to a buyer’s market, with overpriced developments rightly humbled and discounts being offered by the handful. Over-speculation is being curbed as the buyers are starting to funnel back, while the market supply stays the same.

The Buzz is Back

Thanks to these factors, and the economical perk of being just a short 3 to 5 hour, $300 round trip flight from the United States, Costa Rica is back in the headlines and hearts of veteran travelers. Just this month, the country was featured in the New York Times, Forbes Magazine and Travel + Leisure, and is set to be the host of NBC’s newest reality show “I’m a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here” starting June 1.

This recent publicity comes much more deserved than advertorials of the past. For example, the Forbes article, titled “The World’s Cleanest Countries”, which was printed April 15, listed Costa Rica as the 5th cleanest country in the world thanks to efforts to protect its forests and rich bio-diversity as well as the focus on eco-tourism. While they may have forgotten to get water samples from the country’s polluted rivers, they did get it right that Costa Rica is a global leader in environmental rhetoric, which has already had positive results in the country.

The New York Times article, published April 16 and titled “There’s a Silver Lining in Costa Rica’s Gold Coast”, outlined the positive outcome of the crisis on the real estate market with the evolution of the buyer’s market. The article documented a positive outlook from local real estate agents and individual investors who expressed that the slow down to development has been an eye opener, and a reminder to protect the environment that remains.

The country has also been popping up all over celebrity gossip blogs after Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady’s April 5 wedding, which took place at her Santa Teresa beach home. And even more recently, Mel Gibson was photographed in an intimate embrace with a bikini clad bombshell, which allegedly led to his current divorce suit. With celebrity guests like Spencer and Heidi from MTV’s “The Hills”, American Idol finalest Sanjaya Malakar and ‘the world’s first supermodel’ Janice Dickinson rumored to be joining the NBC reality show cast, which will be filmed in the Costa Rican jungle, it is likely that the recent buzz won’t die down any time soon!

Hopefully Costa Rica will continue down the path it is on and the D-list celebrity cast will take second seat to the breathtaking landscapes and exotic wildlife that the country is known for. While the country still trails a step or two behind its utopic reputation, at least it is headed in the right direction with its new identity under constant reconstruction.

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Filed under: Business on April 23rd, 2009