Travelers have long been drawn to the raw, untouched richness of Costa Rica, with a record 1.6 million U.S. travelers visiting the Central American nation in 2024. From dense cloud forests to blissfully bare beaches, Costa Rica’s immensity of pristine landscapes have long made it bucket list worthy.
But cross the manmade borders that divide Costa Rica from neighboring Nicaragua and Panama and it becomes clear that the country’s beauty and biodiversity may not be that one-of-a-kind after all.
The challenging cultural and historical realities that have shaped and scarred the Central American isthmus have impacted each country in the region uniquely, with decades of stability surely one of the most important factors in Costa Rica’s rise among travelers. But with visitors finally beginning to venture further and farther across Central America, Costa Rica feels like a well-proven model for countries looking to learn from their neighbor’s decades of tourism success. With a little help from the experts, these budding destinations are finding their own unique footing and feel with travelers.
Tourism In Central America
After decades of Costa Rica singly handily dominating travel in Central America, nascent travel industries in destinations like Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua are just starting to gain the international spotlight.
Lonely Planet recognized ChiriquÃ, Panama on its coveted 2025 Best in Travel list, while both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler named Nicaragua among the best places to travel this year.
Even as sustainable travel has been the name of the game in nearby Costa Rica, this new wave of tourism in the region looks more diverse than ever. Growing interest in the region’s cities, like the revitalized Casco Viejo historic center of Panama City, Panama and colonial-era Granada, Nicaragua, feels like an entirely new draw to the region. New openings of historic hotels like Hotel La CompañÃa in Panama City have been met with such praise that a sister property, Hotel La CompañÃa del Valle, just debuted in the nearby Valle de Antón.
Meanwhile, beach-bound travelers are finally venturing beyond the sands at Costa Rica’s beloved Manuel Antonio National Park. Next up are destinations like Bocas del Toro, Panama, with its cool surf culture, and Nicaragua’s Corn Islands, with attractive boutique properties like Yemaya Reefs.
Still, sustainable tourism rooted in the beauty of the region’s natural landscapes remains the biggest driver of growing visitor counts here. “Central America has a really unique sustainable tourism offering that you can’t find elsewhere,” says Hans Pfister, reflecting on regional highlights ranging from spotting sloths and howler monkeys amidst the dense forest canopies to rainforest hikes to hidden waterfalls.
Cayuga Collection
Pfister is the co-owner and president of Cayuga Collection, a curated selection of some of the best sustainable accommodations across Central America. With more than two decades of experience across multiple countries in the region, Cayuga Collection is a singular force when it comes to elevating both the eco-friendly credentials and the luxury travel experience at some of the area’s most impressive and sustainable ecolodges and boutique hotels.
Cayuga Collection got its start in Costa Rica, with a pair of ecolodge owners looking for management support for their renowned property but unable to find anyone willing to take on a project with sustainability as such a central operational value.
“Big hotel groups often won’t touch places with such a strong sustainability focus,” Pfister explains. “There’s a lot of hard work and effort that goes into keeping these places truly sustainable, and that goes beyond just talking about sustainability but bringing it to life.”
The collection now spans eight properties across Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala, representing some of the most impressive and sought-after sustainable destinations in the region. It ranges from private island properties like Isla Palenque in Panama with its 400 oceanfront acres to Kura, a luxurious boutique property characterized by its modern design immersed in rainforest.
Despite their differences, each property boasts some serious eco-friendly bonafides, bringing sustainability to life in a new way for travelers seeking an Earth-positive getaway.
New Frontiers
Where Cayuga Collection got its start in Costa Rica, sustainability practices feels standard and well-engrained in both the hospitality industry and the public conscience. While Costa Rica’s success with drawing eco-minded visitors is undeniable, implementation of sustainability practices feels newer in neighboring countries. This is what makes Cayuga Collection such a force when it comes to carving a path for sustainable travel across the region.
“Our first-hand experience with the eco sustainability ethos, which is now so deeply engrained in Costa Rica, allows us to show that this is a proven system that works, both economically and ethically, when it’s done right,” Pfister explains.
“We still get some stares when we work with [stakeholders] in places like Panama and Nicaragua and Guatemala where some of these sustainability practices feel newer,” says Pfister. “‘Why would you focus on preservation so much, and in so many ways?’ they ask. ‘What’s what’s the story behind that?’ It takes a little while in places where sustainable tourism is less engrained. But once it clicks, they become really passionate about it and then take it to the next level.”
Costa Rica’s deep commitment to sustainability, both at a local and national level, was learned, after all, and has lessons that can profoundly impact its neighbors.
Lessons Learned
A truly long-lasting model of sustainable tourism is, after all, more than just a copy-paste job. At Cayuga Collection, it looks like each property rooting into the characteristics that make it special, while committing to eco-friendly best practices translated into local realities.
High in the hills of Panama, Finca Lérida highlights the origins of the world-famous gesha (or, geisha) coffee and over one hundred years of history. At Bolontiku Hotel, one of the Collection’s most recent additions, excursions to the wonder-of-the-world-worthy ruins of Tikal and a commitment to preserving local culture in this remote region of Guatemala are central to the guest experience.
Rather than becoming a replica of Costa Rica, these emerging destinations support their own long-lasting tourism industry by carving out their own space in the market. When married with sustainability principles, it’s a recipe for a transformative tourism experience the region has been longing for.