Sustainable Tourism in Pavones Costa Rica
I have been in Pavones, Costa Rica for a little over a week now. I have seen the town packed with surfers from all over the world, and in a matter of days become pretty much empty. As a location to examine the impacts of extreme seasonality in surf tourism Pavones may be the prefect case study. It is far away and hard to get to. The road into town is not in good shape, washed out in many areas, rutted, and makes about an hour of driving on dirt roads seem about twice as long. Almost everyone I have talked to is here to surf, and when there are no waves the tourist mainly disappear.
As a graduate student working towards a dual degree in Natural Resource Management/Sustainable Development and International Relations at American University in Washington DC and the Universidad Para La Paz here in Costa Rica, I am very excited about this opportunity to be working with the Center for Surf Research. Being involved with CSR is giving me the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for surfing with my academic interests in sustainable development and environmental protection. Before coming to Costa Rica to study at the Universidad Para La Paz I would tell anyone who was interested that the main thing I hoped to gain was experience working in the field. The Center for Surf Research has given me this opportunity. As a field researcher, employing participant observation techniques, conducting semi-structured interviews, and surveying surfers and locals alike on their experiences will allow me to hone these skills in ways that I would not be able to otherwise.
All this and I am about a two minute walk from one of the best waves in the world. This is indeed a very exciting opportunity.
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