ABSTRACT
Sujata Narayan

Originally conceived in the 1960’s in response to declining environmental and economic conditions throughout the Developing World, ecotourism is described as tourism that has a low-impact on the environment, contributes to the local economy, engenders cross-cultural exchange, and fosters environmental education. Costa Rica, with its rich biodiversity and extensive ecosystem, is inarguably one of the leaders in this type of tourism.

To be sure, the promotion of ecotourism in Costa Rica has led to several desirable outcomes including income-generation and employment, at both the national and local levels; greater natural resource conservation in the form of state-protected areas and private lands; and heightened emphasis on environmental education. However, recent studies also indicate that ecotourism has resulted in disruption of natural habitat, pollution, litter, and deterioration of trails and sites.

Given these trade-offs, several questions arise. Namely, how long can this practice sustain itself? Is ecotourism sustainable? The purpose of this paper is to explore these questions. Specifically, this paper examines ecotourism’s impact on the economy and environment of the country. For that purpose, tourism, environmental, and economic transitions are studied, with an emphasis on how these transitions interrelate. Findings and conclusions around the benefits and disadvantages of ecotourism are presented. Based on these findings, this paper then attempts to articulate creative and proactive policy measures for mitigating the drawbacks associated with ecotourism.