Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Editors: Bill Bramwell (Sheffield Hallam University) and Bernard Lane (Visiting Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University)
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Volume: 6 Number: 2 Page: 155–172
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Ecotourism at a Crossroads: The Case of Costa Rica
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Les M. Lumsdon and Jonathan S. Swift
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This article examines tourism development in Costa Rica, with particular emphasis on the strategic choices facing the country in the future. It suggests that the traditional approaches to visitor segmentation
may no longer be applicable. Visitor requirements and motivation are becoming more varied than in previous decades and more widely diversified across the spectrum of offerings. Drawing on qualitative empirical
research with tour operators in Costa Rica, the study examines their approach to the marketplace and the management choices they face in terms of market development. The evidence suggests that Costa Rica
is at a crossroads in terms of the strategic choices faced in the development of tourism. As the country moves towards a mass market culture, it will be necessary for both government and tour operators
to apply stronger controls over access to its national parks and nature reserves.
© Channel View Publications 1997
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