$1.4 million in improvements for Manuel Antonio National Park

Environment Minister René Castro announced Wednesday that the Costa Rican government will invest $1.4 million in improving the popular tourist destination Manuel Antonio National Park, located in the Pacific province of Puntarenas.

The funds are part of a $19 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.

Environment Vice Minister Ana Lorena Guevara said the funds will be used to make improvements to the infrastructure of the park – one of the most visited in Costa Rica – to better serve visitors, starting next year.

In 2011, Manuel Antonio received some 318,000 tourists, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board.

During the announcement, officials from the Social Protection Council presented a lottery ticket for the Nov. 4 drawing, with a design made to commemorate the park’s 40th anniversary.