Evolving Gay Tourism in Costa Rica

For many years the gay travelers coming to Costa Rica have nearly equated the country as a whole with the Playita at Manuel Antonio. Going to Manuel Antonio to play on the beach at Playita was the focus of the vacation. Of course, some ventured out to see the volcano at Arenal or spend a night in the capital city of San Jose after their stay on the beach, but the highlight has always been the beach. These days there is rapid and on going development at Manuel Antonio and some of the popular hotels have been sold and are no longer gay welcoming. The Playita has lost its privacy due to a new straight hotel built directly in front of the beach. Therefore, many gay travelers are spending more daytime hours at the pool areas rather than heading down and over the rocks to the waves and sand. I encourage everyone to visit other areas of the country, exploring less well known territory, such as the Southern Zone, where I am sure they will receive a warm welcome. There are many gay and gay friendly places - undiscovered gems- all over Costa Rica. A look at the pages of GayTravelCR shows the many gay and friendly lodging options all over Costa Rica .
The challenge for the gay tourism industry here will be to continue to attract visitors to Costa Rica as the powerful draw of the famous Playita begins to ebb. For this reason, Las Aguas Jungle Lodge and Colours Oasis have begun leading a marketing effort in conjunction with some other gay and gay friendly hotel properties to keep up Costa Rica's reputation with the community.