Costa Rica
Killing The
Goose Who Laid
The Golden Egg
By John Holtz*
In Costa Rica,
Let us go “back
to the future. “
It´s a nicer
trip than what
we have
witnessed
between 2001 and
now. And the
timing is right.
Over the last
few years
foreigners,
expats as well
as locals have
lost a bundle of
money in this
country just
because we
advertised and
tried to be
something we are
not.
The money wasn´t
lost to
unscrupulous
Tico lawyers
necessarily but
to international
developers,
foreign business
people resulting
from a naïve
belief that the
consumer and
real estate laws
of Costa Rica
are the same as
in the US,
Canada and
Europe. Not to
mention the big
profit motive.
Moreover, Costa
Rica during that
same period
became the
darling of the
condo projects
not to mention
high-end all
inclusive
destination
resorts that
popped up from
2002 to 2008 all
over the place.
Now they are
ghost condos and
50% full resorts
charging a lot
of money to
guests not to be
bothered by the
downside
realities of a
developing
country, or the
benefits of
being in Costa
Rica.
Hell, now any
300 room hotel
that offers
airport pick-up,
a place to
sleep, a couple
of interesting
things to do
during the day,
at least one or
more folkloric
dances in the
evening, some
sweet drinks
with umbrellas
that come from
other countries,
off tune and
bored looking
mariachis, that
feeds the guest
three meals a
day, has a pool
to flop around
in and
eventually takes
you back to the
airport to go
home all for one
price is a
“destination
resort.”
They
might even rent
a monkey so you
can say you saw
one.
“Pura Vida”, an
easy sell. Pure
life, “no
artificial
ingredients”
another easy
sell and a slug
of other catchy
slogans to
describe Costa
Rica just about
everywhere you
go, on every
brochure and
every travel
Website.
The bottom line
is that Costa
Rica is killing
the goose who
laid the golden
egg. That
simple! I
promote using
CPR on that
goose before it
becomes too
late.
Massive projects
were in
construction on
the coasts just
as the rug got
pulled out by
economic
reality. Real
estate people
and developers
borrowed, built,
baited and
waited for the
us$78 million
dollar
baby boomers who
never came and
will never come.
Then banks
stopped lending
so we reverted
to a national a
type of real
estate Ponzi
scheme. Real
estate
developers had
to sell their
stuff and from
the proceeds of
the new deposits
that they
received, they
tried to build
the
infrastructure
and promised
condos but when
new sales
stopped, just
like Madoff on a
mini, mini, more
mini scale…CABOOM!
(Captain Marvel)
thousands (Okay,
maybe just
hundreds) of
buyers lost
their money as
construction is
now, this very
moment, at a
stand still.
On the tourism
side, Costa Rica
is not Mexico
which is a
country so
terribly
professional in
managing their
tourist industry
it is painful.
We remain rustic
and fumble
around in the
quality of
services,
transportation,
immigration,
highways, food
and security.
Yet, we have
foreign
developers who
built huge
destination
resorts, like
Disneyland that
are designed to
look like the
real thing, look
like the
tropics, feel
like what the
tourist imagines
Costa Rica to be
and charge an
arm and a leg
for that turkey
sandwich which
is as tough as
my right shoe
because we do
not have
turkeys.
People of the
globe, this
ain´t us and we
need to get back
to what is us if
we are to
sustain and ride
the horse that
got us here.
(Phew, a real
mouthful.)
What is so
un-fun to
planning a trip,
developing an
itinerary,
staying at
anyone of a
thousand
boutique hotels,
just doing what
you want to do,
when you want to
do it without a
Perry Ellis clad
guide who is
programmed like
a robot
The coasts are
littered with
abandoned real
estate projects,
ugly, I mean
“Coyote Ugly” (A
movie) of signs
and billboards
blocking the
best views in
the nation, the
St. Regis
project,
promoted at
$1,000 a night
including your
personal butler,
is a no go and
went into
default, the
Jaco
condos…never
completed, the
promised
Exclusive
Resorts project
featuring an
upscale tennis
center by Andre
Agassi and
wife…on
indefinite hold.
What we are is
what we are, and
trying to be
something else
has become a
detriment to our
country and our
image.
Costa Rica is
famous, and
rightly so, for
our beaches, the
warm ocean
waters, extra
big surf, the
rain forests,
the river
rafting, green,
green and more
green plus a
zillion species
of everything
that lives on
earth and that
is the goose
that laid our
golden egg which
never, ever
should be
abandoned and
replaced with
imitation luxury
or resorts that
have a burn out
factor of five
to eight years.
It is
Eco-tourism that
attracted people
from all over
the world as
well as those
who wanted to
call this little
country “home”
and make a major
economic
contribution on
a daily basis.
I know, ecology
sometimes
equates with
elite liberalism
that is
connected to
those who can
afford to locate
and protect
birds with names
I cannot
pronounce and
drive electric
cars that I
cannot afford.
But, like yoga,
eco-tourism has
dropped its
mantel of upper
middle class
intellectualism
and is asking
you no more than
to please, “toss
your trash in a
container, drink
some cold beer
and have a great
time, but don´t
litter and don´t
cut down the
trees.” How hard
is that?
While becoming
an ecologist in
your own right,
take a look
around and you
might like,
perhaps even
appreciate what
you see. These
are all things
equally
important as
wearing cool
recycling
T-shirts and
handing out
Sierra Club
literature.
Most important
to Mom Nature is
to control
development,
real estate
development and
not be a part of
this artificial
fun-in the sun
(rain) travesty
being pitched as
Costa Rica.
Before buying,
renting or
visiting, ask
the hard
questions about
waste water
treatment,
sanitation, even
living secure
and please do
not be pulled in
by green trees,
a view of the
ocean and some
Photoshop
illustration of
birds on an
Internet
Website.
After all these
years we are a
still a country
in transition
and still
lacking a
definable
direction,
lacking a
strategic plan,
so to speak. We
have a new
president, we
have a new
congress and we
have a host of
new laws waiting
to be discussed
and passed. Lots
of work to do
and I don´t
think we can
expect much
improvement in
the planning
department.
My argument is
dump the feeble
attempt to
become an
imitation
Acapulco and be
what we have
been all along.
We are a country
built on many
boutique and
classy hotels at
reasonable
prices as well
as offering
inexpensive
drop-ins for
back packers and
surfers who do
not demand room
service. We are
a country
offering amazing
beauty, day time
excitement, not
so bad clubs at
night, good
restaurants at
all price
levels, friendly
people, lots of
spacious
beaches, warm
ocean waters,
excellent beer
(I am into the
beer, I guess,
but sooooo many
calories.) and
people who might
very well not
speak much
English but
would like to
try if you give
them a chance.
Please, leave
your baggage at
home (Take that
any way you
want) and just
have a good time
with what we are
and not what you
think we should
be.
*John Holtz is the Executive Director of
theCenter for
the Studies of
Modern
Management
www.modernmanagement.org and can
be reached at:
[email protected].
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