Even as the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) begins to promote domestic vacations, the orange alerts have effectively shut down that sector in several tourism-heavy towns.
Social-media posts showing a three-fingered sloth giving birth went viral this week, earning appearances on National Geographic and on the front page of CNN.
Ricardo Ureña, coordinator of the ICT Social Tourism program, said Costa Rica is the first Central American country to implement more inclusive tourism.
The Arenal real estate market is dominated by homes around the idyllic lake, and it's fueled primarily by expat retirees looking for a house under $300,000.
