ABSTRACT
Tourism has become one of the world’s largest industries [1]. In Central America the income from tourism in 2001 was 3124 million US$, corresponding to 14% of the total exports of Central America (21,940 million US$), whereas in 1990 the share was only 9% [2] (see also Chapter 1, Table 1.6). More importantly, ecotourism (defined as “tourism based on scenic and unusual natural features, including wildlife”) is the fastest growing sector of the tourism industry [1]. Continued growth is expected, making many developing countries with beautiful natural features, thus far unspoiled by development, increasingly attractive as tourist destinations. Central America is ideal for sustainable tourism development. The variety of geology, topography and climate have led to the development of different landscapes and ecosystems, ranging from beaches and coral reefs, to deserts, and to tropical rain forests, which harbor a diversity of species, some unique in the world. This abundance of natural resources forms a tremendous potential for ecotourism in the Central American countries, which (with the exception of Costa Rica) remains largely untapped. When combined with the diversity of cultural heritages (indigenous and European), historical treasures (pre-Columbian archeological sites and colonial sites), and other features of tourist interest, the total opportunity for the growth of the tourism industry in Central America is great.
