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Measures to improve conditions for tourists in Manuel Antonio National Park |
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 By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
Specialists of the Ministry of Environment and the National System of Conservation Areas, with the collaboration of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, announced measures to improve facilities and conditions for tourists in Manuel Antonio National Park*, which is the most visited in the country. Pamela Castillo, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, said, "we are committed to improving the conditions of our Protected Wild Areas for the benefit of biodiversity, the economy of the country, our officials and the thousands of tourists who will visit us." Suggested improvements include: · Present a bill to reform the distribution of income of the National Park Trust. · Regulate the number of visitors at the park, allowing 1,700 people per day. This regulation will be maintained in March and April. · Clean the toilets more frequently in the next four months. This cleanup labor will be financed with the donation of ¢4,150,000 (about $6,844) from companies and associations. · Install portable toilets as a preliminary measure before installing fixed toilets. · Design and build a wastewater treatment system during March. · Open a contest to hire the company that builds the remaining wastewater treatment systems. Those wastewater treatment systems must be built in August. · In the second semester, an online reservation system will be created to sell tickets. · A tourism plan will be created for the Quepos canton, which includes the design and promotion of tourist circuits in the area so the number of visitors will be distributed throughout the area. · Establish alliances with environmental organizations to encourage volunteer programs to support park maintenance. According to the ministers, these measures should permanently solve the problems in the Manuel Antonio National Park. As A.M. Costa Rica reported on February 27, the Tourism Chamber called for intervention in the park. The National Chamber of Tourism described the conditions of Manuel Antonio National Park* as shameful and demanded that park authorities take immediate action to restore the park. Shirley Calvo, director of the Chamber, said the park generates significant income for the government and maintains that the government should reinvest some of that money into solving the problems in the park. "We must put a stop [to deterioration] now. This is the most visited park, which generates more income to the government and this is the reason why many tourists come to Costa Rica. Those are enough reasons for authorities to give priority attention to that situation," she said. The Chamber points out that some of the major problems are: the current ticket purchase system, the long lines at the park entrance, the uncertainty of tourists who don’t know if they will be able to enter the park, the unhealthy conditions in the bathrooms and the deficient wastewater treatment systems that have an environmental impact on the park. The Chamber believes that there has been a passive and negligent attitude on the part of authorities managing the park who for years have seen the same problems reoccur without providing permanent solutions. This has resulted in denunciations and the closure of the park on several occasions. |
 Manuel Antonio National Park courtesy photo The number of visitors at the park,
allowing 1,700 people per day.
Calvo said that it is clear that a comprehensive and final solution has been postponed for a decade. The problems are repetitive and exhausting for entrepreneurs who struggle to improve park conditions and the quality of their services. "We are aware that the National System of Conservation Areas has been working on a solution proposal for more than six months, however, the problems occur today and every day and we do not see that the managers are taking immediate actions to solve them,” said Calvo. The Chamber says it has received complaints from businessmen because tourists have to wait in long lines to buy tickets or to enter the park, while they face the inconvenience caused by street sellers and expose themselves to theft. The Chamber is making this public complaint to demand that park administrators find a definite solution to all the problems faced by the park and the tourists who visit it. On January 9, Legislator Carmen Chan denounced a series of problems at Manuel Antonio National Park that are affecting tourists."Although these areas provide significant income to the government and promote the image of the country, the government does not take actions or make use of institutional instruments, so in recent years Manuel Antonio Park has been experiencing a series of problems," said deputy Chan. A major problem mentioned by Deputy Chan is wastewater treatment. She stated that there is no safe and suitable place for waste from the bathrooms – sewage – to be contained and treated. This will eventually cause an irreversible impact on the environment of the protected area. According to Deputy Chan’s accusation, an urgent work plan should be coordinated among several institutions to solve the problems in the park. "It is necessary to implement a coordinated action plan among public institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Security, the Ministry of Health, and the Municipality, with the important participation of private companies," said Deputy Chan Deputy Chan called on the government to take action and solve problems in the park, especially since it is a site promoted as a tourist attraction. ------------- Have you ever visited Manuel Antonio Park? Did you find problems during your visit? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com *Link to reach the place on map. |
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