After seeing Monteverde, it is clear that tourism has had the biggest impact on this area. If I wasn’t convinced myself, then I was convinced when I learned that my host mom had never been there before. When asked why, she told me that it was too touristy and mainly that it was too expensive for locals to do all of the various activities.

Despite her not being able to visit, she did agree with what we had learned, that tourism has helped Costa Rica has benefitted from tourism greatly. It has also reshaped many parts of Costa Rica. For example, the biggest dairy company in Costa Rica was bought by a Mexican company and a popular hotel in the area is owned by a Chinese company. These are not bad things for local economy. They bring travelers like myself to Costa Rica where I can learn about the coffee industry and how it was once the focus of the economy and how it still has a major impact today
For example, we visited a small coffee farm called Life Monteverde that put a lot of emphasis on sustainability. This sets them apart from many coffee farms that are hurting the environment and gives them more longevity. Like many other coffee farms, they have implemented tours and other tourist features to supplement their income due to coffee. Furthermore, they are always looking for ways to make their coffee more desirable so that it can be sold for more money. For example, they are playing with the idea of roasting the coffee before shipping it out so that it can be done in a more calculated way, meaning it will be even more gourmet. This would be in addition to still shipping a majority of green (unroasted) coffee. I hope that more Ticos have a chance to visit the natural beauties that Monteverde has to offer, even if it is hidden behind a scheme to attract tourists.