Description:
Marine turtles have been used for eggs, meat, shell, oil, leather or other products for 7000 years. Modern times have introduced another way for society to profit from these species - to generate economic income as a tourism attraction. Sound turtle management relies on local communities, which – as economic incentive - should receive a fair share of the revenues. In many cases, the bulk of the revenues from the local level end up elsewhere, even outside the country – through international tour operators, for instance. Nearly half of the gross revenue from tourism expenditure in Costa Rica remains outside the country. Potential tortoiseshell exports from Cuba to Japan, would add up to 70 per cent of revenue within the importing country.