Costa Rican Hotels Blog | Your Gateway to a Costa Rican Experience

During the IX Central American and Dominican Republic Tourism Integration and Development Forum being held in Panama, members of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) and of the Central American Integration System (SICA) requested that the region’s political leaders and institutions help in the tourism integration process.

According to the Parliament’s president, an integrated tourism policy is in urgent need in order to assure a strong sustainable tourism development which will benefit the local communities.

The Parliament’s president, Joel Lescano, also mentioned that the industry must follow a guide of responsible tourism practices in order to assure a strong future.  Lescano mentioned that the tourism development had to observe environmentally safe measures and focus on friendly and respectful practices.

The integration would include all seven countries of the region which are Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.  The Central American region’s strength within the tourism industry lies in its nature and culture.

Attractions such as the region’s colonial towns, archeological sites, the Panama Canal, the Arenal Volcano as well as the second longest reef in the Caribbean Coast all make up the entire area’s tourism assets.

Tourism in the Central American region is mainly recreational and is primarily visited by North Americans and Europeans.