Sustainable Tourism Development In Costa Rica and Dubai

“Tourism in International Relations”
Lecture: Drs. Usmar Salam, MIS
Christy Pravita Kumesan
(07/250730/SP/22027)


Tourism is one of important pillars to economic growth. If a state can increase the tourism it must bring a lot of benefits. Tourism is not only brings benefits in economic sector, but also in politic sector. Tourism can bring political power to states to achieve their national interest.
Costa Rica and United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, are the countries that really depend on their tourism. Tourism is the key to help Costa Rica and Dubai to achieve their economic condition like now. Their success makes their tourism to be the must places to visit. Tourism is the sector that brings a lot of foreign exchange.
When Costa Rica and Dubai build their tourism, they have to pay attention to another sector. The development of tourism must balance the culture and ecology, so the tourism development will not brings damage to other. Because sometime if the countries too focus on the tourism development, they forget how to protect the ecology and the culture. That’s why when the countries want to built their tourism, they have to pay attention to sustainable tourism development.

Sustainable Tourism Development
The World Tourism International defines sustainable as “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be filled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems”.
Sustainable tourism development is a development that sustain in tourism sector. The concept of sustainable tourism development means continuity between economic benefit and environment conservation. With the concept of sustainable development, the purposes of tourism development are built the tourism locations, bring income to the country, and also create opportunities for employment. And the other side, these tourism develop do not bring damage to the environment and the local culture.
Sustainable tourism development has the following characteristics:
Economic prosperity
• long term competitive and prosperous tourism businesses
• quality employment opportunities, fair pay and conditions for all employees
Social equity and cohesion
• tourism that improves the quality of life of local communities,
• community involvement in tourism planning and management,
• safe, satisfying and fulfilling visitor experiences
Environmental and cultural protection
• reduced pollution and degradation of the global and local environment
• tourism that maintains and strengthens biodiversity
• tourism that maintains and enriches our unique and diverse culture
According to Edward Inskeep in his book, Tourism Planning (1999, 461), the purposes of sustainable tourism development are evolving caring and deep understanding about the contributions that tourism can brings to the environment and economic sector. In the environment sector, the sustainable tourism development kept the environment to the better feature. In the economic view, the tourism is also development the quality life in the tourism destinations, and also brings satisfactions to the tourist. If the tourist happy, they will stay longer and it brings a lot of benefit to the country.

Sustainable Tourism Development in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination in Latin America. Costa Rica has excellent beaches, beautiful mountain scenery, volcanoes, and stunning national parks. On the make to sustainable tourism development in Costa Rica, a lot of things that we should to observe. The social, economic, and environment being important implications process to achieve the balances according to the concept of sustainable tourism development.
The stable government and high standard of living also influence the policy of Costa Rica tourism. Because of that, it makes Costa Rica little bit easier to achieve the sustainable tourism development. Sustainable tourism development is needs a lot of money so the political and economic conditions are really takes a part.
To show the Costa Rica’s government seriousness to achieve the sustainable, they established Costa Rican Tourism Board in 1955. This institution play a part in makes the decisions that related to tourism policy in the national and international level. The policy that had makes as regard to norms, regulations, incentives, and subsidy to service supplier in tourism sector. In this policy also consider the people and the environment conservations.
Costa Rican Tourism Board makes collaboration with Costa Rican Accreditation Commission to produce the Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program. These certificates classify the varying tourism sectors and decided is the sector has already implementation and obeyed the sustainable development principals or not.
Through the Costa Rican Tourism Board, Costa Rica’s government gives subsidy and tax abatement to the stakeholder who works in tourism sector. That was given to help the stakeholder to develop Costa Rica tourism. It’s according to purposes of the sustainable tourism development. And in the end it will bring benefits to Costa Rica economy.
To achieve the sustainable tourism in Costa Rica, the government of Costa Rica also related cooperation in bilateral, regional, and international. Costa Rica joint the Central America Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Nature Conservancy, The Rainforest Alliance, Wildlife Conservational International, and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. With these organizations, Costa Rica tried to keep the environmental from damage. For example, The Protected Areas and Environmental Marketing Component of the Regional Environmental Program for Central America (PROARCA/APM) is an initiative of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), supported financially by the Agency for International Development of the United States (USAID). Beside that, Costa Rica also signed some agreements for environmental conservation. Costa Rica is one of country that has high environmental awareness.

Sustainable Tourism Development in Dubai
Dubai is a popular tourist destination in Middle East. In the beginning Dubai just a place to living for fisherman and merchantmen. But now the Dubai’s government changes Dubai to be a place with high quality to live and holidays. A place with pleasure to shared with family or friend.
When Dubai’s government built their tourism, they also have to pay attention to the other sector, especially the environment. Because of that, Dubai’s government takes seriously the concept of sustainable tourism development.
Until now Dubai still always built their awesome buildings but also still care the environment. In the next 5 years from now, Dubai will built AC Towers with 100 floors. This tower will design with such a manner to produce cold air, so the towers will not need the Air Conditioners any more. More high the level floor, more low the temperature. This tower can retrench the energy about 40%-60%.
Another evident that shows Dubai ecotourism is Anara Tower. Anara Tower is a building with 125 floors. These building also have a garden in every 27 floors. This building consisted of hotel, apartment, office affairs, and mall. Every room in the apartment has their own lift and swimming pool. Anara Tower is already got LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This certificate shows that Anara Tower is a caring the environment conservation and retrench the energy.
Now, Dubai is planning to build the first eco friendly multistoried building. This building is design to produce more electricity. The electricity is produced by turbines. The turbines can produced about 1.200.000 kilowatts per hour in a year. Its really help the environment conservation. Although Dubai development their tourism, they don’t forget how to conserve the environment.
What happen in Dubai showed that Dubai’s government is really care the environment. Everything that they had done give them a reward, World Legacy Award, in 2004. World Legacy Award is the only one award in tourism sector. World Legacy Award is a given by Conservation International (CI) and National Geographic Traveler Magazine to the institutes that contribute in environment conservation. The reward goes to Al Maha Desert Resort in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in category Nature Travel. Al Maha Desert Resort is a luxurious resort in Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. That place has legitimate as the large conservation in the gulf areas.
Beside the environment, Dubai’s government also pays attentions in social-cultural integrity. They keep the social-cultural from the outside influence that can bring bad effect to them. They made Dubai social-cultural as the magnet to pull tourists to come to Dubai.

Conclusion
Some evidences that show us about the sustainable tourism development in Dubai and Costa Rica it works. It showed how we have to make all things in balances so nothing can bring bad effect to our future. Sustainable tourism development is really important to implementation in our tourism. Dubai and Costa Rica are the best examples in sustainable tourism development implementation. Costa Rica and Dubai has responsible tourism that really supported environmental conservation and increase the prosperity in the local society.


References
Dr. Bob McKercher, Sustainable Tourism Development – Guiding Principles For Planning and Management, Presentation to the National Seminar on Sustainable Tourism Development, 2003.
http://www.dubaistarhotels.com/dubai_tourism.html
http://www.greentourism.org.uk/what-is-sustainable-tourism.html
http://www.otakku.com/index.php/2008/05/18/ac-towers/
http://www.otakku.com/index.php/2008/10/30/anara-tower-a-700-high-green-structure-in-dubai/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_tourism
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/locations/costa-rica/tourism.html
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/au.html
http://www.world-tourism.org/frameset/frame_sustainable.html
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/au.html