La Fortuna, fue un placer. Today is our last day in La Fortuna, and tomorrow we head to Monteverde. Today the most relaxed day of the whole trip, we went to one business presentation, to the town to eat, and after we had free time. Which I used to write this blog, work on my project, and, drum roll please, nap.

To start of the day, we had a presentation at Arenal Mundo Aventura, a tico owned business that focuses on conservation and ecotourism. They have adventure activities like ziplining, waterfall hikes, night walks, Maleku cultural experiences, and nature/birdwatching tours. They have 1,300 acres of land, 90% of it being protected, with only 10% being used for their operations. The profit from tourism helps fund the conservation of the forest, this includes reforestation and protection. Almost all of their workers are from La Fortuna, which reflects their goals of community and the ecotourism model. The company also acts as a bridge for its bordering business, which are also conservation focused. However, AMA said that they rely too much on tourism, their main market in the USA and Canada. They can suffer from the slow season or even rare events like pandemics, where people are not traveling. This over reliance can also cause over-tourism, which is prevented with them putting caps on the number of people.

After the presentation, we went to the town to get lunch. I did not personally get any lunch, as I was not hungry, but I did walk around. There were tons of cute souvenir shops, and I just had to look at them. I eventually caved in and got something from the shop. It was nice to simply walk around and look at the stores, with many of them tending to be very tourist leaning. Almost every menu had english and almost every store they spoke english. You can tell that La Fortuna is a popular tourist destination, and after spending three days in it, I can tell why. The presenter today actually brought up how 90% of itineraries when traveling to Costa Rica, include La Fortuna. After walking around, I stopped in the park and took in the sun and relaxed. We then headed back to the hotel for our free time. When driving back I got a look at the volcano, it was only part of it as it was still cloudy but it was the most of it that I have seen these past few days.

I think that commercializing nature is simply the most pragmatic way to save it, though it does have its cons. To conserve an area, you need money to fund those conservation efforts, and money from the government or donations are inconsistent. They are simply too inconsistent to only rely on that. So, the option that makes the most logical sense, is to use tourism to fund these efforts. Although tourism comes with its side effects, pollution, over tourism, over reliance on said tourism, it is also very helpful and brings a steady stream of revenue. AMA is an example, they use only 10% of the land and their revenue helps protect their 1,300 acres of land. However, when tourism disappears, so does the revenue stream… What happens now? Well, AMA brought this up, they know they over rely on tourists, and one of their solutions is to have offers. For example, they might have an offer where you pay for one activity and then you get an added activity on top. They also try to add more products, because they also recognize that they rely on one single product. They also set a cap on the number of tourists allowed, recognizing that too much of a good thing can damage what they are trying to protect. When problems like this arise, or maybe one does not want to commercialize nature, there are some possible alternatives. Maybe a carbon credit program or using a non-tourism based business to generate revenue for conservation. Companies can pay for their emissions, to counteract fund conservation efforts and counteract their pollution. This is also not too much of a stretch, as many of the businesses we have visited already prioritize reforestation and sustainability. These companies could contribute to carbon credit programs that fund conservation area like AMA, ensuring that these efforts do not live or die by tourism alone. Commercializing nature is not a perfect solution, but it is a pragmatic one. The key is making sure tourism is not the main thing funding conservation because when it stops, everything stops.

I really needed a relaxing day, especially after all of the physical labor yesterday and for any upcoming activities. I honestly really appreciated it. I also liked how the presentation today directly correlates to my ecotourism topic, as I found it more helpful. I am going to be sad to say goodbye to this hotel, but it’s time to move on. Y así, La Fortuna me dejó ir.