CENTRAL AMERICAN TOURISM Presented By: Joe, Tim, Dusty, Kyle, & Ryan

Introduction Focus on Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Belize Turmoil in the 1980’s led to increased interest in the area by tourists in the 1990’s and beyond Costa Rica has the largest growth, which may be due to the fact that they have no army and are seen as a more peaceful country

Introduction (cont’d) Ecotourism has become quite popular In addition, the beautiful weather in the area still lends itself to the more traditional resort towns

Costa Rica

Background Statistics Costa RicaUnited States Area (km2) 51,0009,629,000 Population (millions) Population Density (per km2) 8230 GDP$32 billion$10.45 trillion GDP (per capita) US$8,260US$36,300 Capital: San Jose Official Name: Republic of Costa Rica

Tourism Statistics Costa Rica Belize N.D. Guatemala Panama ,0021, N.D Tourist Arrivals (thousands) Tourist Receipts (US$ millions) Tourism arrivals and receipts

Tourism Statistics (cont’) Tourism in the economy (2000) Receipt per capita (US$) Receipt per arrival (US$) Percentage of GDP Costa Rica Belize Guatemala Panama

Factors that have led to Costa Rica having the most established and mature tourism industry the region 1980s Privileged position relative to its neighbors The Law on Tourism Incentives Late 1980s The world trend towards environmental conservation and ecological issues gathered new momentum.

Guatemala

Guatemala Fast Facts Capital – Guatemala City Language – Spanish Population – 11.1 million Currency – Quetzal (1 Quetzal =.12USD) Largest economy in Central America Recently tourism and agriculture have boomed.

Guatemala The Guatemalan Economy has been booming over the past several years. Over 50% of Guatemala's GDP comes from services such as Tourism.

Guatemala Tourism has steadily increased in Guatemala after internal conflicts were resolved in Guatemalan Tourism Receipts (US$) Million Million Million Million Million

Guatemala Modern and Colonial Cities Mayan Ruins Natural Paradise Pacific Ocean Tourist Attractions

Guatemala Ecotourism - The demand for the visit of unmanaged natural landscapes in their natural environments. Sustainable Tourism Paradox – The increase in visitors makes it dificult to preserve the natural beauty for future tourists. The Future of Guatemalan Tourism

Panama Where the canal is

 Full country name: Republic of Panama  Area: 30,420 sq mi  Population: 2.8 million  Capital city: Panama City (pop 700,000)  People: 65% mestizo, 14% African descent, 10% Spanish descent, 10% Indian  Languages: Spanish (Official), English and Indian languages  Religion: 85% Roman Catholic, 10% Protestant, 5% Islamic  Government: 85% Roman Catholic, 10% Protestant, 5% Islamic  Currency: Balboa = $1.57 Some Facts About Panama

The service industry is the biggest source of revenue in Panama’s economy. Tourism is one of Panama’s primary services Panama’s Economy

Year$ (in millions) Panama’s Tourism Receipts

Tourist Attractions Panama Ruins This is the one bridge that crosses the Panama Canal La Amistad International Park

Belize “Central America’s Diamond in the Rough”

Overview Belize is located on the Caribbean Sea between Mexico and Guatemala Slightly smaller than Massachusetts Population of 266,000 people English official language Government is parliamentary democracy Natural Resources: fish, timber, hydro- power, potential arable land – only 2.8% used

History Heavily populated by the Mayans from A.D. First settlement 1638 by British for logging - followed by fights of British and Spanish for ownership British won supremacy in 1798 and est. as colony in 1871 Loosely governed by natives and achieved independence Sept. 21, 1981 – constitution introduced and accepted by UN and Commonwealth of Nations

Dangers of FDI in Tourism Coastal flooding esp. in the south Frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) Crime – due largely in-part to illicit drug trade (major transshipment point for cocaine) International Disputes – land disagreements with Guatemala – laid claim to Southern Belize Labor Shortages – 90,000 force but shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel – 43% of population under age 18 High Trade Deficit - $290mil. Export/$430mil. Import High Nation Debt - $435mil. External Poverty – 33% of population below poverty line

Room for Improvement Stable exchange rates – remained relatively constant since 1998 Major ports source of income/trade/transportation Continued increase of arable land production Support from US/UK - $21mil last year Gov’t expansionary and monetary policies initiated in Sept cause led to 6.5% increase in 1998, 10.8% in 2000, 4.6% in 2001, and 3.7% in 2002 – mostly in tourism Short-term objective is reduction of poverty via international donors GDP real growth rate – 3.7% per year Inflation rates – 1.9%

Tourism Recent times – GDP growth in 2001 was 4.6% compared to 10.8% increase in 2000 result of two nat. disasters, declining export prices, and Sept. 11 th – esp. in tourism -Tourism is number one source of income for country – represents 20.2% of GDP -Gov’t is spending lots time and money in attempts to reinitiate growth via growth plans with help of US & UK -Protecting natural resources = main tourist attractions: Mayan ruins, beaches, parks, etc.

Ancient Ruins Mayan ruins located throughout Belize – main attractions on coastline Government has spent large amounts of money revitalizing areas and making them more tourist accessible – trails & protection

Hotel Accommodations Much time and money spent increasing and improving resorts and hotels – via Colonial Development Corporation (CDC) Considered lower than average – number of rooms has more than tripled from 1990

Overall With continued gov’t assistance in tourism and related businesses and increases of foreign money flow the Belizean tourist industry is bound to flourish and become one of the most successful in Central America and the world

Bibliography

The Young Dr. Boggs

The End