Editing Costa Rica (section)

=== Tourism ===
{{main|Tourism in Costa Rica}}
{{see also|List of airports in Costa Rica}}
[[File:CostaRica25 (8414513243).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Arenal Volcano National Park]] is one of the country's [[Tourism in Costa Rica|tourist attractions]].]]
[[File:Tenorio Volcano Nationalpark, Costa Rica — bright blue paradise fantasy waterfall—2021.jpg|thumb|Waterfall in the [[Tenorio Volcano National Park]]]]
Costa Rica had 2.9 million foreign visitors in 2016, up 10% from 2015.<ref name="Central America Data">{{cite news|title=Costa Rica: Flow of Visitors Up 10% in 2016|url=http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/home/Costa_Rica_Flow_of_Visitors_Up_10_in_2016|access-date=21 March 2017|work=Central America Data|date=8 February 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322202746/http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/home/Costa_Rica_Flow_of_Visitors_Up_10_in_2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, the tourism sector was responsible for 5.8% of the country's GDP, or $3.4 billion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tourism Represents 5.8% of GDP in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Star News|url=https://news.co.cr/tourism-represents-large-gdp-costa-rica/62237/|website=Costa Rica Star News|date=16 June 2017|access-date=25 February 2018|archive-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804053233/http://news.co.cr/tourism-represents-large-gdp-costa-rica/62237/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, the highest number of tourists came from the United States, with 1,000,000 visitors, followed by Europe with 434,884 arrivals.<ref name="El Financiero">{{cite news|last1=Rodriguez Valverde|first1=Andrea|title=Costa Rica alcanza cifra récord en llegadas internacionales: 2,9 millones de visitantes|url=http://www.elfinancierocr.com/economia-y-politica/Costa-Rica-internacionales-millones-visitantes_0_1118888103.html|access-date=21 March 2017|work=El Financiero|date=17 February 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322202909/http://www.elfinancierocr.com/economia-y-politica/Costa-Rica-internacionales-millones-visitantes_0_1118888103.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Costa Rica Vacations, once tourists arrive in the country, 22% go to [[Tamarindo, Costa Rica|Tamarindo]], 18% go to [[Arenal, Costa Rica|Arenal]], 17% pass through [[Liberia, Costa Rica|Liberia]] (where the [[Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport]] is located), 16% go to [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], the country's capital (passing through [[Juan Santamaría International Airport]]), while 18% choose Manuel Antonio and 7% Monteverde.<ref name="Costa RIca Vacations">{{cite web|title=Costa Rica Vacations|url=http://costaricavacations.com/|website=Costa Rica Vacations|access-date=21 March 2017|archive-date=23 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223190657/http://costaricavacations.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

By 2004, tourism was generating more revenue and [[Foreign exchange reserves|foreign exchange]] than bananas and coffee combined.<ref name="ICT2006"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elempleo.co.cr/clientes/news_cli.asp?not_id=22|language=es|date=29 December 2004|access-date=13 April 2008|newspaper=La Nación|title=Turismo, principal motor de la economía durante el 2004|author=José Enrique Rojas|archive-date=11 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411201314/http://www.elempleo.co.cr/clientes/news_cli.asp?not_id=22|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, the World Travel & Tourism Council's estimates indicated a direct contribution to the GDP of 5.1% and 110,000 direct jobs in Costa Rica; the total number of jobs indirectly supported by tourism was 271,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2017/costarica2017.pdf |title=Research |date=2017 |website=www.wttc.org |access-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720140155/https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2017/costarica2017.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

A pioneer of [[ecotourism]], Costa Rica draws many tourists to its extensive series of national parks and other protected areas.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Honey | first = Martha | year = 1999 | title = Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? | page = [https://archive.org/details/ecotourismsustai00hone/page/5 5] | publisher = Island Press; 1 edition, Washington, D.C. | isbn = 978-1-55963-582-0 | url = https://archive.org/details/ecotourismsustai00hone/page/5}}</ref> The trail [[Camino de Costa Rica]] supports this by allowing travelers to walk across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. In the 2011 [[Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report|Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index]], Costa Rica ranked 44th in the world and second among Latin American countries after Mexico in 2011.<ref name="TTCI2011">{{cite web| url =http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TravelTourismCompetitiveness_Report_2011.pdf| editor =Jennifer Blanke| editor2 =Thea Chiesa| year =2011| title =Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011| publisher =[[World Economic Forum]], Geneva, Switzerland| access-date =14 March 2011| archive-date =9 October 2022| archive-url =https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TravelTourismCompetitiveness_Report_2011.pdf| url-status =live}}</ref> By the time of the 2017 report, the country had reached 38th place, slightly behind Panama.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.co.cr/costa-rica-ranks-38-in-tourism-and-travel-competitiveness-report-2017/62394/|title=Costa Rica Ranks 38th in Tourism and Travel Competitiveness Report 2017 – Costa Rica Star News|date=23 June 2017|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-date=5 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805020359/http://news.co.cr/costa-rica-ranks-38-in-tourism-and-travel-competitiveness-report-2017/62394/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ethical Traveler group's ten countries on their 2017 list of The World's Ten Best Ethical Destinations includes Costa Rica. The country scored highest in environmental protection among the winners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/the_most_ethical_travel_destinations_for_2017/|title=The Most Ethical Travel Destinations for 2017|first1=Molly|last1=Blakemore|first2=Karen|last2=Blansfield|first3=Morgan|last3=Lance|first4=Natalie Lefevre with Jeff|last4=Greenwald|website=Earth Island Journal|access-date=22 November 2020|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129173346/https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/the_most_ethical_travel_destinations_for_2017/|url-status=live}}</ref> Costa Rica began reversing [[deforestation]] in the 1990s, and they are moving towards using only [[renewable energy]], with 93% of all its energy being renewable.<ref>{{Citation|last=Democracy Now!|title=Fossil-Free Costa Rica: How One Country Is Pursuing Decarbonization Despite Global Inaction|date=13 December 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy2lhbtJExg| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/gy2lhbtJExg| archive-date=2021-10-27|access-date=13 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>