Tourism has certainly brought development to our region. There are more businesses, more jobs and more money moving around Quepos and Manuel Antonio. From the outside, it may look as if everybody living here is doing well.
But that picture can be deceiving. Poverty is still common, and one of the main reasons is that so much of the land belongs to a small number of people. Many of those owners are foreigners.
So many owners are foreigners now that we sometimes feel like outsiders in our own country.
When local land passes into foreign hands, the money and control over development also move away from the community. A hotel may stand here and employ some local workers, but the most important decisions and much of the profit can still belong to somebody living elsewhere.
What worries me most is what I see happening to young people. They watch tourists on the beach and begin copying their clothes, habits and behaviour. They see people enjoying themselves on holiday, but they do not see the ordinary working lives those visitors return to afterwards.
Drug use among young people concerns me more every year. As a woman, I am also very worried about the growth of prostitution in the tourism areas. These problems are part of the development too, even if they are less visible in the holiday photographs.
I do not want to say that everything has changed for the worse. The number of schools has increased, and the quality and variety of training courses have improved. This gives young people opportunities that earlier generations did not have.
But education only helps if young people can imagine a future here that is more than copying tourists or taking the lowest-paid jobs in foreign-owned businesses.
Local women are already trying to create that future. Some have started small tourism businesses, often making and selling handicrafts. They do not have the capital of the large investors, but they have skills, knowledge and a strong connection to the community.
When you buy directly from a local woman, your money supports much more than one small sale.
It helps her provide for her children, keep her business alive and become more independent. It also means that more of the money brought by tourism stays in the region.
I am not asking visitors to solve all our problems. I am asking them to notice who owns the businesses around them and to buy locally whenever they can. A simple choice can help local women and families benefit more directly from tourism.