Tourism, volcanic eruptions, and information: lessons for crisis management in National Parks, Costa Rica, 2006

Abstract

Volcan Poas National Park, located in the central valley of Costa Rica, is the most visited and most economically important park in the country. Recently, a series of eruptions caused the park ad- ministration to severely limit visitation for a period of approximately 3 weeks. This study examines the economic impact of this policy on the surrounding communities of Poasito and Fraijanes, which are reliant on tourists who stop in the towns on their way to or from the park. The social impact, as seen in the failure of park-community information sharing during this period of disaster management, is also investigated. Improving disaster management and planning both within and outside the park is found to be closely tied to improving the poor communication and lack of multi-stakeholder participation in park- community affairs. Both parties are responsible for improving the situation. To decrease vulnerability to physical disasters and their accompanying economic crises, the community needs to organize to illicit information and to diversify the type of tourism on which they are dependant. PNVP needs to initiate capacity-building activities in the community and include community information needs in their disaster management strategy.