Tourism throughout the Central American Regions has taken drastic downward spirals in profit. This includes nations like Costa Rica, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, the Dominican Republic, Tobago and Guadalupe. These respective countries have implemented self-isolation measures before Covid-19 becomes a potential pandemic throughout their beaches, bars, restaurants and hotels.
When it applies to Costa Rica, their Manuel Antonio National Park is typically overfilled with tourists. The infamous beach destination sees young individuals retired citizens and honeymooners to the same area for pristine white sands. Behind those sands is a tropical rainforest, which creates a stunning element of nature that cannot be ignored. The Manuel Antonio National Park Beach is currently closed, which followed after the government announced restriction measures on all tourist activity. There is implemented bans on mass gatherings, meaning all beaches across Costa Rica are shut down. Hazard tape and local law enforcement are ensuring that residing tourists don’t enter these locations.
Central America’s Declining Revenue
The Covid-19 Pandemic has affected the global tourism industry, forcing thousands of travellers to return home unexpectedly and countless others to terminate their reservations. Billions have already been lost throughout the Caribbean and Central America regions, with each respective nation having to shut down their borders. Additional cancellations extend towards airports, with some countries accounting for 50% of yearly gross income from tourism.
The country of Panama has closed its borders, which isn’t surprising since their connected to Costa Rica. This influential nation has seen 245+ cases of Covid-19, with Costa Rica having 117 cases. Both countries are expecting to lose upwards of $600m from lost tourism. The only remaining border opened in Panama is their canal, which if closed, would cause detrimental effects to economies globally.
When it applies to the Caribbean, they’ve already begun anticipating an economic crash from the lost tourism activity. This is because the Caribbean is starting to see an influx of reported cases, with nations like Trinidad and the Dominican Republic reporting double-digits. This extends towards Guadeloupe and Tobago. Mexico expects 50% of its activity tourism valuations to plummet as well. This entire region could enter an economic crash.