Page 120 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

Volcano Tourism – Central and South American Examples 97

Costa Rica Because most tourism in Costa Rica is based
Costa Rica was the first country in Central on national parks, the tourism industry helps to
America and the Caribbean to implement support these parks and to encourage wise use and
environmental actions at the ministry level conservation. Future concerns for the national
(Hopkins, 1995). More than 25 per cent of Costa parks of Costa Rica include the economic situation,
Rica’s territory has been designated either as conservation education, the need to demonstrate
national park land or some kind of biological the monetary value of conservation, population
reserve, wildlife refuge or wildlife corridor. There growth, the need for citizen involvement and the
are several volcano national parks and among need for effective environmental legislation.
them is the famous Arenal National Park based on There are over 100 volcanoes in Costa Rica;
an active volcano. The national parks and wildlife ten of them show some type of activity such as
refuges of Costa Rica are managed by the solfataras, fumaroles and eruptive activity. The best
Ministerio de Ambiental y Energia (MINAE). known are Arenal, Poas, Irazu Turrialba and Rincon
Eleven conservation areas were established by this de la Vieja. Costa Rica’s volcanoes are formed by
Ministry in 1998 to oversee and manage the subduction of the eastward-moving Caribbean
public lands of Costa Rica. These conservation Plate. They form part of the ‘ring of fire’ (see
areas are known as the Sistema Nacional de Areas Chapter 1), the long belt of active volcanoes all
de Conservacion, or SINAC. Costa Rica has around the Pacific Ocean. All of the active volcanoes
attracted an average of 1.6 million tourists every noted above have been designated as Costa Rican
year from 2003 to 2008, and of these 60 per cent national parks. One of them, the Arenal Volcano
said that they have visited at least one of the National Park allows visitors to observe an eruptive
volcanoes in the country. activity from the foot of the volcano.

Figure 7.1 Poas volcano is one of the few volcanoes where people can drive almost all the way to the rim
Note: The viewing terrace gives a bird’s-eye view 320m down into the volcano and is visited by tourists from a variety of backgrounds.

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