Coastal tourism seems nearly impossible to control. Happy little fishing villages are quickly transformed into hot new 'off the beaten path' meccas. Foreign builders with more capital replace local entrepreneurs, and the land speculators move in like vultures. They buy and sell parcels strictly in anticipation of the inevitable escalating demand, going home to Houston or New York with gold chains and diamond rings, while the local people are displaced and can no longer afford to survive in their once tranquil seaside homes. Here in the Maya Mountains however, tranquility and conservation-driven entrepreneurism still reigns.
Occupancy is down, and the old-timers are working harder to fill rooms.
Innovative agreements between non-governmental organisations and lodges have conserved more rain forest for ethnobotanical research, and tourists flock by the thousand to a medicinal plant trail created to educate visitors about the value of biodiversity. The accomplishments of these ecotourism pioneers can be logged in acreage preserved, medicinal plants discovered, and local communities finding genuine new prosperity. The ecotourism of the new millennium has many directions to take, and it will transform from a rapid growing sapling to a mature tree with branches in many directions. The original entrepreneurs will reach their market through the Internet with increasing efficiency. But the lack of discipline of government and the demand for growth will undermine efforts to create sustainable ecotourism economies that are small but beautiful.