• The Marine Tourism Impact Monitoring Plan on Cocos Island helps conserve biodiversity while improving the experience of visitors and maintaining the balance between tourism and conservation

  • The new Guide to Good Practices in Tourism Activities promotes tourism based on environmental conservation, social responsibility, and the creation of shared value for the Cocos Marine Conservation Area and its visitors.

The Marine Tourism Impact Monitoring Plan is a collaborative project that brings together Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO), the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC), and strategic partners such as the Blue Action Fund.

This joint effort seeks to monitor and manage the effects of tourism on Cocos Island National Park, a site of global importance for its biodiversity and cultural heritage.

In addition, it intends to provide a guide of good practices to promote tourism that is not only respectful of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but also contributes positively to the local economy.

The Marine Tourism Impact Monitoring Plan, finalized in August 2024, met the proposed objective: to have a monitoring system that allows effective management actions to be taken to sustainably balance biodiversity conservation with continuous improvement of visitors´ experience.

The assessment revealed key areas where tourism needs to be managed more strictly to protect the region’s unique biodiversity.

To this end, detailed monitoring strategies were proposed, with the aim of promoting a tourism model based on environmental conservation, social responsibility, and the generation of shared value.

As part of this effort, a new Guide to Good Practices in tourism activities for the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) is being launched.

This document updates the previous version from 2008 and is aimed at a wide audience, including tour operators, travel agencies, park rangers, ACMC staff, national and international tourists, as well as scientists and scholars.

This guide is the result of many years of accumulated experience, rigorous research, and collaborative management that emphasizes the implementation of sustainable practices that benefit the environment as well as the tourist experience, ensuring the preservation of resources for future generations.

Cocos Island National Park is a unique site in the world. It is considered one of the best places in the world for diving, thanks to the high conservation of its marine ecosystems and the frequent sighting of sharks, one of its main attractions. Its underwater and terrestrial landscapes, rich in biodiversity, attract thousands of national and foreign tourists every year. However, this influx also brings along significant challenges.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals have highlighted the need to manage tourism in a balanced way, ensuring that not only environmental impacts are minimised, but also that the economic benefits of these tourism practices are maximised. Thus, CINP faces the challenge of reconciling the conservation of its valuable ecosystems with tourism demand.

The success of these tools lies in the collaboration among stakeholders and the commitment of the park administration to implement the necessary recommendations for the handling and sustainable management of tourism. The project “Strengthening marine conservation and sustainable coastal development between the Central Pacific coast and the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) in Costa Rica” is a clear example of collaborative work among state institutions, NGOs, and donors. This project, funded by Blue Action Fund, seeks to strengthen the protection of marine ecosystems while maintaining the balance with the ecosystem services within the ACMC.

You can download the Marine Tourism Impact Monitoring Plan and the Guide to Good Practices in tourism activities, on the ACMC website.