The Economic And Environmental Impact Of The Hotel Industry In Costa Rica

The Tourism industry has been becoming one of the most important industries around the world and nowadays is one of the most important economic activities in many countries, this industry involves so many different topics, but the focus of this paper is in the hotel industry specifically. Hotel Industry has an important role worldwide because of the amount of income it brings into countries and it promotes interconnectedness throughout the world, Hotel Industry has become an important sector that has an impact on development of country economy, the main benefits of this industry are income creation and generation of jobs. The ability of the national economy to benefit from hotels depends on the availability of investment to develop the necessary infrastructure and on its ability to supply the needs of tourists, but there are many hidden costs to conventional tourism and they can have unfavorable economic effects like inflation and non stable jobs, also the Infrastructure cost, hotel development can cost the local government and local taxpayers a great deal of money. Developers may want the government to improve the airport, roads and other infrastructure, the increase in prices, increasing demand for basic services and goods from tourists will often cause raised prices that negatively affect local residents whose income does not increase proportionately.One of the most affected area in hotel development is the environment, to mention some impacts are in the water quality, the tourism industry impacts water quality through construction and maintenance of tourist infrastructure, in addition to causing annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for humans, it causes distress to wildlife, especially in sensitive areas, Ecosystems and natural habitat can be damaged by tourist infrastructure and tourist activities. The negative impacts of hotel development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends; on the other hand, hotel industry has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation.Hotels are certainly necessary all over the world, wherever there are travelers who need lodging, but it also has its negative impacts, especially in the environment, that’s why the objective of this paper is to expose how the hotel industry impact in the economy and environment of a country, using the information of Costa Rica and best practices in this industry.