Eco-tourism Environmentally friendly resort development business plan Essay

Eco-tourism Environmentally friendly resort development business plan - Essay Example is a relatively new trend in the tourism industry, has taken many travelers to various remote corners of the world, exposing them to many diverse wildlife and cultures that have been developing in relative isolation from the modern world, consequently making ecotourism one of the most interesting and therefore fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry (Ibid.). Costa Rica, unlike the other so-called Third World countries which are focusing on rapid urbanization and industrialization, has turned to ecotourism and considered it as its key to its goal of economic development (Dulude, 2000). Despite its relative smallness compared to other countries in Central America, Costa Rica is home to an incredible biodiversity highlighted by scenic beaches, lush rain forests, impressive volcanoes and a very exotic wildlife, with its tourist industry bringing in about one million visitors a year and generating approximately $1 billion annually, making tourism Costa Rica’s second largest income generator after the silicon chip production industry (Ibid.). Further, Costa Rica also has the following features which make it an ideal country for ecotourism, which also rationalize this paper’s overall concept of an eco-friendly resort business in the country, as follows: 1. Rich biodiversity. Costa Rica has an incredible biodiversity that can offer tourists – foreign and local alike – with a glimpse of mountains and volcanoes, as well as beaches and lush green rainforests that are all located within a relatively small region in the country (Garen, 2000). According to Lizano (2000, p17), there are about twenty-four national parks in Costa Rica that are covering its diverse flora and fauna, covering about twenty-one percent of the country’s territory, which includes twenty-eight percent of the country’s Indian reserves. 2. Strategic Location. Costa Rica is situated closely to the United States (US), which makes it ideal and strategic for its tourist industry, giving