Week 8 - Ia Lo

Costa Rica’s government played a significant role in setting the pitch for the country. Between 1950’s to 1980’s, mass deforestation led to an almost naked country. To deal with the economy and the environmental issues, the government proposed plans to establish tourism and restore and preserve the country’s natural environment. The government allowed local businesses, private and public agencies create jobs in and around the eco-tourism industry. In 1990, deforestation was down to 25% and the government has projected a $1 billion income in 1986-1988. The green rhetoric became the talk of the country where Costa Ricans took this opportunity to create businesses in the industry without full knowledge or genuine interest in sustainability. This is one of the setbacks for the country which it taints the image of Costa Rica as eco-friendly to hypocrisy. Tourist agencies “were the major actors” of the country’s image. The tourists who visited Costa Rica are more genuine in the values of environmental sustainability than the Costa Rican tourist industry. There is the overproduction and manipulation of green despite the rise in the country’s economy and the realistic environmental results from preservation. 

          A valuable component that my group has is that we targeted a good audience that would not compensate Bhutan’s value. One of Bhutan’s main concern about tourism is the dynamic changes visitors can impact Bhutan. These changes are potentially threatening to environment and culture. As seen with tourism in Botswana and Costa Rica where there are issues of local and international business competition and hypocrisy. It is not to say Bhutanese do not want to change, but because they are proud people of Bhutan who instilled in values of happiness, peace, balance in all aspects-government, environment, art, religion. Their eco-tourism will work because Bhutanese genuinely have values in environmental preservation. Cultural tourism will work because they deeply value Bhutanese heritage. The goals of the government and people are virtually aligned and provide transparency to the people. With our target group, spiritual seekers, they are able to understand the spiritual atmosphere in Bhutan and travels to Bhutan for the right reason for Bhutan. A slogan that I propose for the project is Spirited in Bhutan modeling after Made in U.S.A. The slogan invokes our goal in which visitors will able find spiritual serendipity within themselves.

Besides environmental preservation and eco-tourism, what areas in which the government could address?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bhutan&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRhJmarqjSAhUQ6GMKHUdwB1oQ_AUICSgC&biw=1366&bih=638#tbm=isch&q=Costa+Rica+green+tourism&imgrc=7bKjFDyLiaz6gM: