The fact that tourism has become the main source of income for the country shows how Costa Rica uses its natural capital consistently. Just a few years ago this position was held by the export of bananas and coffee.
But, of course, it is not the banana plantations and coffee fincas, which attract visitors from all over the world. In fact it’s the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula, the cloud forests of the Talamanca mountain range, the volcanoes Poás, Irazú and the no longer active Arenal with its hot springs in the interior of the country, the canals, river arms and lagoons of the national parks of Tortuguero and Barra del Colorado in the Caribbean flatland, beaches and nature reserves of the Pacific coast, the list of “highlights” could be continued. (read more…)