Author: Bernd Kubisch  03/2000

Optimistic prognoses – present situation a modest one

This year tourism in Central America is due to be roused from its slumbers, and efforts are being made to attract more visitors from Europe in particular. The seven small countries regard combined efforts to promote and market sustainable tourism as the way forward, in other words, they intend to pursue a course of development that is acceptable environmentally, socially and culturally. The predictions by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and various governments are very positive. Latin America is one of the world’s regions above-average expansion in the volume of travel is planned, although current levels are still very modest. One example: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama currently receive just under 70,000 tourists annually from Germany. Approximately three times as many Germans enjoyed the sunshine in Cuba in 1999. Europe accounts for the largest number of tourists, but so far only 20 per cent of the 3.367 million foreign travellers (1998) choose Central America. According to the statistics available to the regional integration authority SICA, 1999 saw a substantial rise in visitors to Central America, and it is thought that the increase in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador exceeded 20 per cent. However, this was mainly due to the growing popularity of travel from within the region. Following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Mitch in the autumn of 1998, in early 1999 there was a substantial decline in tourism from North America and Europe. However, SICA, Sistema de la Integracion Centroamericana, and the Latin America Working Group report that tourism to Latin America has since stabilised again. Prospects for the current year are regarded as good.

Polishing the image – "Sustainable Tourism" as the trademark

SICA is following the pattern set by the EU in its efforts to improve integration, and in the tourism field it receives valuable assistance from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Edgardo Contreras, Tourism Director for SICA in San Salvador, is well aware that "together we are stronger". A great deal could be achieved through the introduction of a tourism trademark for the entire region. All the member countries have an enormous potential as tourism destinations, which has been largely untapped until now. Belize was the last of the seven to join in the process of integration. The countries once torn by civil wars, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, in particular, are still associated to some extent with insecurity and violence, and it is with a certain envy that they look at the Caribbean islands not far from their coasts. These islands benefit immensely from the images shown on television and in catalogues, with pictures of friendly islanders against a background of reggae and calypso, and happy tourists on palm-fringed beaches. Working together under the co-ordination of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and with assistance from the EU, the islands have successfully developed and marketed the Caribbean image. Now the governments of Latin America are working on an image of their own, reflecting their natural attractions and their culture, including sites associated with the Mayas, volcanoes, exotic flora and fauna, unspoiled rainforests, environmental measures, beaches, native Americans and open, friendly people.

Joint ventures with Germany

SICA and its tourism project directorate GEPROTUR are working closely together with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). According to Klaus Lengenfeld: "New and existing tourism projects are to be placed under the umbrella of a common corporate identity, a trademark symbolising sustainable tourism. Since early in 1999 he has been working with the project director Karola Tippmann on behalf of the GTZ in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua. The GTZ assists its partner in this project, SICA-GEPROTUR, in "promoting sustainable development through tourism in Central America", which is the designation of the BMZ project. The abbreviation FODESTUR is derived from the Spanish translation (Fomento al desarollo sostenible e mediante turismo en Centroamericano). Lucy Valenti, director of the partner SICA-GEPROTUR, believes that the next big step is the "establishment of a Central American marketing and promotional organisation according to the pattern set by the CTO, and supported by both the private and the public sector", as well as tourism offices in Germany and in other European countries. For the first phase of the project, through to 2001, Germany’s contribution will amount to some DM 5 million. The GTZ reports that initial successes have been achieved in the form of stronger, joint participation in trade fairs such as those in London, Milan and Berlin, the creation of regional networks to implement sustainable tourism, and initiatives to establish rural "tourism routes" featuring cultural and natural attractions.

Tourism potential and undiscovered treasures

The seven countries have a total population of just under 35 million, and cover an area of 511,000, which is less than that of France. The UNESCO list of world heritage sites includes 13 in Central America (as of September 1999 there were 582 worldwide). They include the Barrier Reef off the coast of Belize, the Maya ruins at Tikal (Guatemala) and Copán (Honduras), Joya de Ceren in El Salvador, and the enormous nature park La Amistad, which extends from Costa Rica to Panama. Joya is the only one to have been buried by a volcanic eruption, which has preserved it, and along with it a village from the time when the Mayan civilisation was at its peak. La Amistad is the habitat of jaguars, ocelots, pumas, night apes, tapirs, and rare birds and reptiles. This is where the North and South American land masses first came together, forming a narrow bridge of land, and the diversity of species in such a relatively small area is quire remarkable. Lake Nicaragua (Lago de Nicaragua) is the world’s only inland water with freshwater sharks. Its largest island, Ometepe, contains two volcanoes over 1,600 meters in height. The wind and waves create challenging conditions for windsurfers and yachtsmen. With its colonial city Granada and the Rio San Juan flowing through the jungle, this region is one of the lesser known tourism treasures of Central America, and its development must be undertaken with care.

Ecological errors and advances: Belize and Costa Rica as examples

Politicians in all seven countries are promoting the need for environmental protection, and this is a subject that is also taken seriously in the schools. However, there are wide differences in the way such measures are applied and practiced. It is an everyday occurrence in Belize, for example, that vast quantities of empty cans and snack cartons are thrown out of cross-country buses, even in the proximity of howler monkey reserves and historical sites associated with the Mayas. This often incurs reproachful glances from schoolchildren and tourists. However, much has been done in Belize to preserve the diversity of species. Lascett Tillet, one of the pioneering figures in the development of tourism in the country and head of the "S & L Travel Services" travel agency, says: "Nowadays Jaguars are protected in the national parks" In the past intensive hunting reduced their numbers drastically. "We are glad to see that the numbers of such animals have risen substantially again". In the Nicaraguan capital Managua undeveloped sites are often used as unofficial rubbish tips, causing foreign visitors to turn up their noses in disgust. The city council puts up signs prohibiting tipping, but assistance is only forthcoming after local people have become organised and cleared the sites themselves. In Costa Rica, one of the world’s main destinations for so-called eco-tourists, on the other hand, the guide on a trip through the rain forest is likely to pick up the chewing gum wrapper himself that has been dropped by a tourist.

More than a quarter of the 51,000 square kilometres occupied by Costa Rica is designated as a nature park or reserve and enjoys state protection. There has been a positive response in the region to the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) which has been introduced by Costa Rica. It was developed by the ICT tourism institute, in collaboration with environmental organisations and other associations, and involved an examination of traditional environmental criteria as well as socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects. Green Globe is now planning to back the CST certificate of quality.

Safeguarding environmentally acceptable waste and sewage disposal is vital for regional authorities and an expanding tourism sector. The World Bank is providing funds through its regional environmental programme for the Bay Islands (Islas de la Bahia) in Honduras, where the excellent hotels and diving grounds attract tourists, especially from the USA. Some $ 24 million is being provided for waste disposal. Due to a lack of clear development and land use plans, or a failure to implement them, unauthorised settlements have sprung up, where waste disposal does not meet the necessary environmental standards.

For Central America in particular, environmental protection is vital for safeguarding the continued survival of local inhabitants. UNO experts claim that almost two thirds of the damage caused by landslides and flooding as a result of Hurricane Mitch could have been avoided if deforestation could have been prevented over ten years ago. Experts from the German charity Caritas has criticised the fact that cultivation and cattle farming are taking place in totally unsuitable areas in both countries. The cattle are allowed to graze on deforested slopes, and during the dry season this destroys the turf. As a result heavy rainfall can no longer be absorbed, and it washes away the bare earth. Anaité Seibt, a German-Honduran operator, together with her family, of the small Euro Honduras travel agency in La Ceiba, says: "Environmental protection is also vital for tourism. I hope that everyone in the region has learned from the mistakes of the past."

International assistance and rural tourism

In addition to Germany and the World Bank, a number of other foreign organisations provide support and funding for tourism and environmental protection. These include the United States Authority for International Development (USAID), the Organisacion de Estados Americanos (OEA) and the government of Taiwan. Canada’s contribution takes the form of the "Serve Best Program", intended to improve inadequate services provided by the chambers of tourism in many places. The EU supports the "Mundo Maya" project, a joint effort set up a few years ago by Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Many regional initiatives and NGOs are providing assistance for rural tourism. In El Salvador the Ruta de las Flores (Floral Route) has already been established. Nicaragua has linked some of its delightful colonial relics by creating the Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos. Further attractions could include routes dedicated to coffee of volcanoes. There are many volcanoes or various types concentrated in a small area, some with an almost perfect cone shape and a constantly smouldering crater at the peak. Some are quite easily accessible: in Nicaragua a bus takes visitors to the edge of the active crater of Masaya, which is only 500 metres high, enabling them to look into the smoking depths. One eco-tourism project being planned by NGOs and small tourism companies in Honduras is the "Ruta Verde y Etnica" on the Atlantic coast. It runs from Tela, home of small communities of Garifuna, down to the largely untouched jungles of the Moskitia, still inhabited by native Americans, who will also be involved in the project.

Projects in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama

The aim of the Patuca e.V. organisation is to protect the rainforest around the Rio Patuca in the east of Honduras, along the border with Nicaragua, and to assist the local minorities such as the Tawahka. Its partners, in Germany and Honduras in particular, include NGOs, institutes, the city of Konstanz, and the tour operator Mesoamerica Travel. The native population is "under severe pressure from the influx of landless peasants" explains Oliver Heintz, who is on the staff of Patuca. A number of trips are planned, involving Mesoamerica, to enable interested persons to gain insights into this kind of sustainable tourism and to see some of the natural treasures that exist there.

In Guatemala, which, along with Costa Rica, is the main destination for German travellers to Central America, the tourism authority INGUAT is seeking to market previously unknown destinations more effectively. The country has much more to offer than just the Mayan temples of Tikal, the world heritage site of Antigua, Atltlan Lake and the native American market of Chichicastenango. For example, the province of Las Verapaces contains exciting opportunities for caving, rafting, and sites associated with the colonial and Mayan eras. There are security concerns in Guatemala, which, along with El Salvador, is most prone to outbreaks of violence. Some attacks are specifically targeted at tourists.

Apart from the historical Mayan village of Joya de Ceren, El Salvador’s tourism attractions are not as spectacular as those of its neighbours. Instead it is basing its hopes on the development of holidays for people in search of activities and new experiences. Rodrigo Barraza comes from a family that has long been involved in tourism, and has made his hobby into a career, founding Punta Mango Surf Trips, a tour operator specialising in surfing, and now catering to the needs of a growing number of surfers from the USA. Unlike their German counterparts, they have already discovered the attractive surfing beaches of La Libertad and Punta Mango in the east on the Gulf of Fonseca.

In Nicaragua the Fundacion Cocibolca (an NGO) has created an educational path leading to the peak of the 1,300 metre volcano Mombacho on the Lago de Nicaragua. Much of it is covered by tropical mountain forest, and some of the coffee plantations are now being maintained on an ecological basis. During the first ten months since it was opened a total of 10,000 visitors were recorded, almost half of them consisting of school parties from all over the country. On the nearby Solentiname archipelago Immanuel Zerger and his Nicaraguan wife run a small hotel in accordance with ecological principles (Hotel Mancarron), as well as acting as incoming tour operators under the name Solentiname Tours. "Our concept is also aimed at involving the local population" explains Zerger. Guests can obtain the wares of painters, fishermen and farmers. A council made up of local community members discusses and decides on new projects.

Following the handover of the Panama Canal and the commencement of construction work for new hotels and eco-projects in the Canal Zone there has been growing interest in the most southerly of the Central American countries. For many years tourists have been able to visit the Cuna people on the nearby San Blas islands, either in organised groups or individually. Most of the income that has been generated goes to help the indigenous population, who administer the islands themselves. Here too civilisation and tourism result in a clearly evident problem of refuse, that can only be solved by applying an integrated and sustainable development concept.

Efforts to improve air links

To some extent the expansion of tourism could be facilitated were it not for a number of obstacles such as inadequate hotel capacities, too few highways, and a lack of ferry and air links. The Grupo TACA, made up of regional airlines, is attempting to bring local services up to American standards. One way in which is this being done is to connect some of the more remote parts of the country to the international route network. Tourism from Europe suffers from the fact that there are hardly any direct flights, and that most services are via the USA. Panama’s Copa airline has entered into an agreement with Continental Airlines in the USA, expanding its network in competition with TACA. A number of airlines are trying to set up new services between Central America and Mexico/Yucatan, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and to offer tours taking in a number of destinations.

Keen demand for Costa Rica, and general optimism

With 28 per cent of the market, Costa Rica is the most important destination in Central America, and is also the most popular choice among German travellers. In 1998 it attracted 23,366 visitors from Germany. Between January and October 1999 the numbers of German visitors rose by 2.5 per cent. ICT (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo) estimates that there were more than a million foreign visitors for the first time in 1999 (1998: 942,853). In the tourism field one positive feature has been the decision in 1999 by Condor and LTU to include Costa Rica in their timetables again. Prices and living standards in the "Switzerland of Latin America" are both relatively high. Studiosus Reisen, for example, points out that the standards of quality offered do not always justify the prices being charged.

For the current year tourism institutes and tour operators expect an improvement in Central America. Johanna Valet, spokeswoman for the Latin American Working Group, says: "In recent months German tour operators have again reported a substantial increase in demand for Central America". This has focused in particular on Costa Rica, Guatemala and combined tours to the countries of the Mundo Maya. "In Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador tourism is still in its infancy, at least as far as the German market is concerned. A great deal of work still needs to be done here."

Following reduced demand in 1999, Wikinger Reisen is expecting better results for Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, with "full bookings (for the first few months of 2000) and increased demand for this autumn." Following their problems in 1999, Miller Reisen and Ikarus expect 2000 to be a good year in Guatemala. Having been spared the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, of all the countries in the region Costa Rica proved to be the best destination as far as Ikarus were concerned. Bookings with Windrose Fernreisen for Costa Rica were also very good in 1999. The combined tour taking in Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, had to be withdrawn from the programme for the year 2000. The Studiosus catalogue includes Nicaragua and Panama as part of its "Grand Central American Trip" this year. Almost all the tour operators agree that Central America is an excellent destination for educational trips, enabling visitors to see the cultural sights and enjoy the beaches too.