On February 3, Carlos Ricardo Benavides Jimenez, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, visited Hacienda Matapalo – the most sought after Costa Rica real estate project on the country’s South Pacific Coast – and said the 665 acre gated community was important to the area’s economic growth.
“Hacienda Matapalo is a significant development,” said Benavides of the project that is currently under construction. “Its long term effects will be far-reaching. It will help create jobs not only in the construction sector, but in the service and related industries for the residents of the area. Overall it will be a positive influence for the entire region and for Costa Rica that is a good thing.”
Benavides, who was appointed the Minister of Tourism in May 2006, and has been a leading voice for tourism in the region, was impressed with the direction of the master planned community, not only because of the residential development, but because of the commercial center. He was especially impressed with Hacienda Matapalo’s commitment to the environment.
“It was important for us to show Minister Benavides the direction in which we are building,” said Edwin Acosta, Hacienda Matapalo’s Director of Costa Rica Operations. “We take a lot of pride in our social responsibility and we wanted to make a statement to the government that we are committed to following their lead toward protecting the surrounding environment.”
Costa Rica’s long-standing promotion of and experience with ecotourism, nature travel and “green” construction, serves as a model for many countries around the world. Benavides has served on the Special Tourism Committee of the National Congress of Costa Rica, and was President of the Steering Committee of the Central American Tourism Council.
With the Costa Rican government continuing its campaign of “Peace for Nature” which was started under President Oscar Arias, the country has been at the forefront of the global movement for ecotourism, promoting responsible travel and development working toward becoming the world’s first “carbon neutral” place to live and travel destination.
Some of the positive results from the visit to Hacienda Matapalo included:
- Benavides’ enthusiasm about the tourism potential of the area due to the number of different activities that represent the “real Costa Rica” such as the beaches, surfing, whitewater rafting, mountain hiking, local wildlife and the Hacienda Baru Reserve.
- Benavides’ perception of a real need to “brand” the Matapalo area, since many Costa Ricans and tourists confuse Playa Matapalo with the Matapalo in Guanacaste Province and to a lesser degree Cabo Matapalo, which is located at the far end of the Osa peninsula. A proposed solution is to brand the area “Playa Matapalo / Quepos” so that it can be included in future Tourism Ministry promotions. For this to occur a proposal must be submitted to the Tourism Ministry that outlines the area’s activities and desirable aspects of greater Matapalo that appeal to visitors. Jonathan Rodriguez, President of the Canton Aguirre Counsel, was also in attendance at the meeting and he committed his support in preparing a proposal for the Tourism Ministry.
- A verbal commitment for the allocation of funds for the construction of restrooms and showers at Playa Matapalo.
- Benavides’ desire to have an additional festival or carnival developed for the area that could potentially draw crowds during a different time of year than The Matapalo Turtle Festival, which draws many people every December.
Benavides expressed a desire to return to Matapalo in the coming weeks for more fact finding and to bring along other government officials who could assist him. He would like to use Hacienda Matapalo as a base of operations for the effort.
Benavides also mentioned that he would be consulting with the Minister of Security about the prospect of increased funding for police services in the area and was hopeful of having him visit the area in the near future.
To learn more about Hacienda Matapalo, visit their Web site at http://www.haciendamatapalo.com.
