A day after the collection of fees began to take effect, for visiting the wetland of the Las Baulas National Marine Park, the affiliates of the Tamarindo Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) agreed to suspend the measure.
Days ago, the institution announced that as of this past Monday a charge of ¢ 1,808 would begin to apply, for nationals, and of $ 13.56, for foreigners, who wanted to explore the estuary. Now, the charge would not begin to apply until January 2022. Around 30 tour operators work in the area that offer guided tours in this part of the park, at the same time that they offer transportation services between this place and Playa Grande.
Reconsider amount
“Together with the MINAE, it was agreed to suspend this charge until January 2022, but it was also decided to review the issue of the amount that we consider can have a negative influence so that people avoid visiting the place,” said the President of the Chamber, Hernán Imhoff.
The spokesperson added that another request was for the Minae to develop a specific investment plan to improve the conditions of the park, with the money obtained from this eventual collection.
The mangroves of the Park are within the Convention Relative to Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar). These ecosystems are habitats of great importance for several species of aquatic birds as well as marine fauna.
Imhoff stressed that the application of a canon “in the worst of times” would be detrimental to tourism entrepreneurs in the area, after 10 months of crisis due to the global pandemic, which has had a special impact on the national tourism industry.
