Is Costa Rica Becoming Too Dangerous for Female Tourists

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Costa Rica took a big hit over the holidays with female tourists and visitors. Women were murdered in Costa Rica – brutally and viciously – with the most famous being the Venezuelan/American from Miami, Carla Stefaniak, who visited in December to celebrate her birthday. She was found partially buried behind the Airbnb she was visiting, and the hotel security guard stands accused of her murder.
Stefaniak’s murder followed other murders. In August, 2018, two female travelers were found dead near Tortuguero National Park, one strangled, the other assaulted, then drowned. In July, a Canadian woman was robbed and raped in Costa Rica. What message does this send to women planning their holidays, or even their retirements in Costa Rica?
According to the Costa Rica Tourism Board, more than three million tourists visit Costa Rica each year, of whom 49.86 are male, and 50.14 are female. Says Tourism Minister Maria Amalia Revelo (herself a female), “We are very worried, the situation we are witnessing is crucial. We’d all like more police, but all know the government’s fiscal situation.”
Murders have been on the rise in Costa Rica since 2012, with a record of 603 people killed in 2017, a few less in 2018. The U.S. Embassy website states, “Crime is increasing in Costa Rica and U.S. Citizens are frequent victims … U.S. Citizens are encouraged to exercise high levels of caution and vigilance due to increased levels of violent crime.”

This could have catastrophic repercussions for the Costa Rican tourist industry, an industry which brought in almost 3.9 billion dollars to the Tico economy last year. According to Bloomberg Business News, “With a ballooning spending gap, Costa Rica’s government relies on tourism as its main source of income. Its fiscal deficit is forecast to reach 7.5 percent of GDP next year, the widest in at least three decades. Interest payments are eating up more of the budget every year due to the government’s reliance on short-term debt. A tax reform aimed at boosting revenue has stalled out in Congress.”
The recent murders of female tourists in Costa Rica have even drawn the attention of President Carlos Alvarado. He stated, “These incidents infuriate us.” He has promised “intense work” to reverse the situation. Sadly, the damage to the tourism industry may already be too much for the economy to bear.
Why is assault and murder of women even a possibility in a Catholic country like Costa Rica? The answer may be the acceptance of violence against women in the country at large. Costa Rican law defines femicide as the murder of a woman by her spouse or significant other. From 2004-2014 there have been an average of 32 femicides a year in Costa Rica; 75% of the victims had never reported any assaults by their significant others to authorities, despite numerous assaults leading up to their murders nor had they submitted official aggression statements against their murderers. Said a woman interviewed in the street about the issue, “This is just the way it is in Costa Rica. Women have very little power, and wind up as victims.”
Female visitors to Costa Rica should take heed. The reputation of this country is that of a tiny, biologically amazing country paradise, and women tend to let their guard down, as the tourists who died during the holidays certainly did. They were seasoned, well-traveled females, who nonetheless wound up as victims of murderers and predators.
Costa Rica can do better. Tourists can and should be better informed and prepared. Take a look at some advice for women traveling alone in Costa Rica.
 

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