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Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country and by 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner. Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas, pineapples and coffee exports combined.〔 The tourism boom began in 1987,〔 with the number of visitors up from 329,000 in 1988, through 1.03 million in 1999, to a historical record of 2.52 million foreign visitors in 2014.〔 In 2012 tourism contributed with 12.5% of the country's GDP and it was responsible for 11.7% of direct and indirect employment.〔 In 2009 tourism attracted 17% of foreign direct investment inflows, and 13% in average between 2000 and 2009.〔 See pp. 422 and 425.〕 In 2010 the tourism industry was responsible for 21.2% of foreign exchange generated by all exports.〔 According to a 2007 report by ECLAC, tourism contributed to a reduction in poverty of 3% in the country.〔 Since the late 1980s Costa Rica became a popular nature travel destination, and its main competitive advantage is its well-established system of national parks and protected areas, covering around 23.4% of the country's land area, the largest in the world as a percentage of the country's territory,〔 Published on website "Planeta Sustentável"〕 and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, in a country that has only 0.03% of the world's landmass, but that is estimated to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity.〔 ''Chapter 5. Costa Rica: On the Beaten Path''〕 The country also has plenty of beaches, both in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, within short travel distances, and also several volcanoes that can be visited with safety. By the early 1990s, Costa Rica became known as the poster child of ecotourism,〔 with tourist arrivals reaching an average annual growth rate of 14% between 1986 to 1994.〔 According to the Costa Rican Tourism Board, 47% of international tourists visiting the country in 2009 engaged in activities related to ecotourism, which includes trekking, flora, fauna, and bird watching, and visits to rural communities. However, most visitors look for adventure activities. Costa Rica was included by Ethical Traveler magazine in the 2011 and the 2012 list of ''The Developing World's 10 Best Ethical Destinations''.〔〔 ==Description and key statistics== Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 2.3 million foreign visitors in 2012, capturing a market share of 26.4% of all visitors to the region.〔 ''pp. 10''〕 In 2012 Panama ranked second in the region with 1.6 million, followed by Guatemala with 1.3 million visitors.〔 The number of tourists visiting Costa Rica surpassed the 2 million milestone in 2008, and tourist-related income reached billion that year.〔 As a result of the Great Recession, international arrivals began falling since August 2008, as the number of U.S. citizens visiting the country shrank, and this market segment represented 54% of all foreign tourists visiting Costa Rica. The combined effect of the global economic crisis and the 2009 flu pandemic resulted in a reduction of tourists arrivals in 2009 to 1.9 million visitors, an 8% reduction as compared to 2008. In 2010 the number of visitors rose to 2.1 million, barely exceeding the 2008 peak, and a record was reached in 2012 with 2.34 million visitors, a 6.9% increase over 2011.〔 International tourist receipts rose to billion in 2012.〔 The lead country of origin was the United States with 921,097 tourists, followed by Nicaragua with 474,011 visitors, and Canada with 151,568.〔 Costa Rica was a port of call to 175 cruise ships in 2012, down from its peak of 264 ships in 2010. Cruise ships brought 247,138 short-term visitors in 2012, who spent , down from in 2004, the peak year for cruise ship receipts.〔 Arrivals reached 2.428 million visitors in 2013, up 3.6% from 2012, and the U.S. continued as the leading country of origin with 929,402 visitors (38.3%). In 2013, the average stay was 12.1 nights, up from 11.6 nights in 2012, and the average expenditure per international tourist was per stay.〔 A historical record of 2.5 million international visitors arrived in the country in 2014, up 4.1% year-on-year, and the corresponding receipts rose to billion in 2014, up 8.3% from the previous year.〔 In terms of the 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), Costa Rica reached the 47th place in the world ranking, classified as the third most competitive among Latin American countries after Panama (37) and Mexico (44), and ranking sixth in the Americas.〔 ''See Table 4, pp. 18 and Country/Economy Profile: Costa Rica, pp. 142-143.''〕 Just considering the subindex measuring human, cultural, and natural resources, Costa Rica ranks in the 38th place at a worldwide level, and 7th when considering just the natural resources criteria. The country ranks a high 26th overall for environmental sustainability, ranking 9th in the world for sustainability of its travel and tourism industry development. The TTCI report also notes Costa Rica's main weaknesses, limited number of cultural sites (93rd) and poor condition of ground transport infrastructure (100th), with quality of the roads ranking 129th and quality of port infrastructure 106th.〔 In 2012 most visitors came from the United States (39.3%), Nicaragua (20.2%), Canada (6.5%), Panama (3.9%), and Mexico (2.9%).〔 Tourists from North America and European countries made up 60.8% of all international visitors, and visitors from Central America represented 30.8%.〔 According to a 2006 survey, visitors from the Caribbean Basin and South America travel to Costa Rica mainly for business or professional purposes, while a majority of Americans, Canadians and Europeans visit the country for leisure. Word of mouth from friends and family, with an average of 58%, was the leading reason for visiting Costa Rica for vacations and leisure. The main visitor's complaint is the poor condition of the roads. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tourism in Costa Rica」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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