Tourism in International Relations
Lecture: Drs. Usmar Salam MIS
Identity of Author:
Geraldus Danistya Kaloka Putra
07/253900/SP/22118
International Relations
R. 8 No: 33
Sustainable Tourism Development,
Compare between Cuba and Costa Rica
Sustainable Tourism Development is somewhat we can called a system, when the goal of tourism industry meet with the continuity of nature or environmental and social conditions, which have a link with cultural and people society, and give the room for technology advanced, a pattern of natural resource and the many aspect that meet with the human needs, and this needs can be met not only now, but also in the future. This system has three approaches, the economic, ecological, and social. Economic approaches demand of income, efficiency, investment, capital rotation, and what we called the rules of money. Ecological approaches demand of protection to the nature and biodiversity, ecosystem, and many needs with environmental aspect. The third aspect, social approaches, is maintenance the social ability to control the society, go to the stability of social-cultural system, and this meaning is like to more avoidance the conflict, or transform the negative aspect of conflict become a powerful conditions to support or promote the tourism. This system can perhaps have specific meaning when the tourism is become a specific industry, and we can look it when the tourist is demand a service from the tourism place, when the production in tourism industry have many aspect of future demand, when the tourism industry have more competitive aspect to another tourism industry, and when the tourism industry is more sensitive to the global issues like terrorism, human right, environmental, gender, culture; from this part, we can think that the tourism industry is more complicated and the system have many aspect to learn.
Principles of sustainable development:
- The principle of development on the footing that the preservation and long-term oriented emphasis on the value of benefits for local communities.
- The principle of asset management resources that sustainable.
- Declaration of development activities with the scale, character and condition of the region.
- A synergistic harmony between the needs of development, environment and local communities
- Anticipating the right and the monitoring of the process of change.
Now, let move on to the sustainable tourism development that occurred in the two countries, namely Cuba and Costa Rica. The two countries have different approaches to tourism development, especially if viewed from the history of both nations, including the political aspects that occur in both countries. As known, Cuba is a country that being economic embargo from the United States, so that it affects the economy and the tourism to Cuba itself. Since the overthrow Batista regime by Fidel Castro, the United States had a foreign policy to embargo against Cuba. This made Cuba turned to the Soviet Union as the main partner of economic trade. However, when the Soviet Union collapse in 1991, Cuba experienced economic crisis that hit Cuba trade and economic sector, especially with the economic industry. With still an embargo against Cuba by the United States, there is no other option for Cuba to gain an economic benefit rather than trying develops its tourism world.
Unlike the Cuba, Costa Rica who was an independent country since year 1821 from the Spanish colonization, have relatively stable political situation. This stability makes a lot of foreigners choose Costa Rica as a tourism destination. This is possible because Costa Rica is also one of the Latin developed country, including in tourism services. With the number of tourism object in Costa Rica, it is not surprising when the country have to develop its tourism world. Its improved when Costa Rica stand the most visited nation in Central American region, allow this tourism industry with 2.0 million foreign visitor in 2008 with $2.2 billion per year, and ranked 42nd in the world Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. Its country that does not have a national army is really unique, because with a lack of armed forces in Costa Rica, Costa Rica shows the suitable destination in safe and peaceful conditions.
When we started to compare between two nations about its sustainable tourism development, we can not forget what the similarities between the two countries. The two countries appeared to have the same tourism policy, which is concentrating more on ecotourism. Sustainable ecotourism is carried out by the Cuban government by established the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA) in 1991 and in 1997 the National Assembly has enacted Law 81 of the Environment, one of the most comprehensive "framework" environmental laws in the region. In Costa Rica, the government is establishing Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) in 1955 as autonomous government institutions. Its role in determining policy related to tourism and promotion, both in the national or international level, and determine the sector of tourism industry to comply with and implement the principles of management of natural resources, social and cultural development are sustainable. Cuba is a socialist country, but when the Soviet Union fell, and in 1997 the monetary crisis occurred, Cuba realizes that without opening themselves to investment and tourism development, they will collapse. With tourist arrivals per year to reach 2 million visitors, Cuba realizes the potential of tourism as a potential, which exceeds the export of sugar that has been its nation earlier commodities.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica establishes the level of cooperation in tourism bilateral, regional and international. Its due to increase income from the tourism sector, Costa Rica must be able to adjust the needs of tourists and build and maintain the cooperation, both economic, political, environmental, etc., with outside parties, such as NGO and other nations. Costa Rica also signed international agreements in the field of biodiversity, climate change, endangered species, hazardous waste, waste water disposal, and other agreement that become benefit to the tourism industry. Costa Rican government also has stability and international security in the world, and convinces security in the country and shows a real commitment to environmental issues. This made the government to the issues such as global warming. In the contemporary issue of this, Costa Rica positioned himself as the country carbon neutral (C-neutral country). Costa Rica also create a Tourism Certification regional-scale international. In addition to the strategy in the country, Costa Rica government's strategy is creating a certification program. Costa Rica isn’t forget for the promotion of employment and their work with service providers and public relation strategy communication, which help the nations because this is very helpful to the tourism promotion business and industry in Costa Rica.
However, when we look at Cuba again, it is not easy for the country in the Caribbean. When Cuban is gain an embargo from United States, many countries in the world do not want to deal with Cuba because many of them are fear of the threat from the United States. This was difficult position of Cuba itself. Cuba can not implement the agreement or cooperation intensive form of bilateral and regional cooperation. Cuba also can not join any forum of cooperation. Cuba also can not ask for assistance to countries in the world, and the worst is Cuban’s tourism industry didn’t entered the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. It’s become a major hit for the tourism industry of Cuba, because the embargo impact to the traveler warning to Cuba by many countries. But the Cuban government is not only remaining silence, but they act with some of tourism policy. The live of tourism industry can be done only by Cuba is to open itself to the investment, and by late of 1990s, 25 company were working within Cuba’s tourism industry, and it’s make a significant impact to the tourism industry in Cuba. Cuba does allocate more funds to the tourism sector and promoting tourism to Canada, Germany, and Europe. For tourists from the United States, for their security and avoidance the punishment from the United State’s government, the government of Cuba has chosen not to stamp their passport, and this is make Cuba become popular for free vacation from United States. Besides, Cuba also promoting the incentive health tourism, a new lifestyle in tourism. Many foreign tourists are going to Cuba to gain a health treatment, and this industry of health care become more profitable purpose due to the desire to obtain Cuba's foreign exchange from activities of health care, and give much incentive to the foreigner, so they interested travel to Cuba for health tourism. However, a significant impact arising from this activity. Cuba desire to get foreign exchange make the gaps in health services occurs between foreigners and local residents, because the local residents cannot afford any healthy facility with cheap price. Others, Cuba also apply to the isolation of the tourist from the local society. This is due to Cuba as a country that gets the embargo, should protect the confidentiality interests of the foreign tourists.
That was about description that occurred between the tourism industry in Cuba and Costa Rica. The two countries are different. Costa Rica has a positive ways of tourism industry and its sustainable tourism development because the benefit of history and political aspects those tend to be moderate even neutral, so that country’s world tourism grew rapidly. On the other hand, the Cuban embargo to get from the United States, struggling with the build of tourism industry. With these many factors, of course, the two countries have many aspects that can be developed in its tourism industry. The success of Costa Rica in developing ecotourism, make the country become most advanced tourism industry in Central America without sacrificing aspects of their country, such as people or natural resource. While Cuba has success in achieving sustainable tourism development, but the difficult of its foreign relations, make the socialist country sacrifice its people needs for gain a foreign exchange from the tourism industry.
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