The everyday scene no one sees

In a wooden kitchen in northern Costa Rica, Doña Marta prepares breakfast for tourists arriving at her small rural lodge. As she stirs gallo pinto and pours coffee into enamel mugs, she explains that she has never had access to credit, is not listed in any official registry, and that her work—though essential to the tourist experience—is invisible to the state. Like her, thousands of women sustain Costa Rica’s tourism economy from the shadows: informal, precarious, and unrecognized. This contrast between the country’s global image of sustainability and the local reality is the heart of this report.

Women in the shadow of paradise

Costa Rica is internationally praised for its sustainable tourism model. Yet behind that image lies a female labor force that remains largely unseen. According to data from INEC and the ICT, women make up over 40% of tourism employment, especially in lodging, food services, local guiding, and artisanal production. However:

• Over 60% of rural women in tourism work without contracts or social protections.
• They face limited access to credit, training, and promotion.
• They carry a double burden: productive and reproductive labor.
• Only 18% hold leadership roles in tourism boards or chambers.

The gender gap is not only economic—it’s structural. Sustainability without equity is just a façade.

Voices from the ground: Stories of resistance and exclusion

In Talamanca, a young Bribri woman offers cultural tours but cannot access funding because she lacks land titles. “We protect the forest and share our culture, but when we ask for support, they say we don’t qualify,” she says, frustrated.

In Guanacaste, Doña Teresa, a rural cook, has won awards for her cuisine but still relies on word of mouth to attract visitors. “They say we’re part of tourism, but no one includes us when the benefits are handed out,” she says.

In the Southern Zone, a women’s cooperative managed to formalize their business but now faces bureaucratic hurdles to renew permits. “They ask us for requirements they don’t demand from big hotels,” one member explains.

These stories reveal a pattern: women are central to rural tourism, but the system is not designed to recognize or support their contributions.

Institutions and omissions: Who has their back?

The ICT and INAMU have launched initiatives like the SOFIA Network and Safe Spaces for Women, focused on the safety of travelers and workers. However, these efforts do not structurally address economic empowerment or territorial equity. The INA offers technical training, but many rural women cannot access it due to lack of transportation, time, or information. According to INAMU, fewer than 10% of rural women participate in economic development programs.

Proposals for the next government (2026)

The incoming administration has a unique opportunity to transform tourism into a tool for gender justice and territorial development. Key actions include:

• Creating a National Tourism Fund with a Gender Perspective, with simplified access for rural women.
• Reforming the ICT to include a Directorate for Equity and Territorial Development.
• Establishing a Fair and Community-Based Tourism Seal, with tax incentives and differentiated promotion.
• Integrating these policies into technical and vocational education, with a focus on care work and local realities.
• Aligning all efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).

Inheriting strength, not exhaustion

Doña Marta, the woman from the beginning, says she doesn’t want her daughter to inherit her exhaustion—only her strength. “I want her to have options, to study, and if she chooses this path, to do it with pride and with rights.”

Making visible the women who sustain tourism is not just an act of justice—it’s a prerequisite for Costa Rica to fulfill its promise of sustainability with a human face.

Nidia Zúñiga Pérez is a researcher and storyteller specializing in sustainable tourism, ethical supply chains, and territorial development.