On November 18, 2015, I attended the LAS 410 Tourism in Latin America Capstone Presentations in Upham 116. The event consisted of six students presenting the their capstone projects related to tourism in Latin America and the effect it has on the environment and its inhabitants. One of the speakers discussed tourism in Panama and how the Panamanian government's current efforts to reduce the negative effects of tourism need to be greatly improved. I didn't know how increased tourism could have such negative consequences on the environment and community residents. In Costa Rica, for example, many communities have suffered due to the strong increase in tourism. Just a few decades ago a community called Puerto Hermanos had about 2,500 tourists a year. Today they have over 250,000 tourists a year and the number continues to increase. Residents of the community complain about congestion and noise from planes flying overhead. Local resorts in the area generate a lot of revenue, but Costa Ricans don't see any revenue. Most of these beautiful resorts are owned and operated by foreign investors. During the presentation we were shown photos of ten members of the board of directors of a resort. Not a single member was from Costa Rica, in fact they were all white. Across the country, residents living near national parks and protected areas are being forced to relocate, especially to the capital, to expand the tourism industry. Within the capital, living conditions for the average resident are very poor, and overpopulation and crime are widespread with seemingly no end in sight. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Over the course of the semester, we had a lot of class discussions and readings; However, there was one reading in particular that immediately came to mind after attending this event: Lynn Darling's reading, “Havana at Midnight,” Traveller's Tales, Cuba. Her reading explains the sex tourism industry in Cuba from a prostitute's perspective and the difficulties many young women have faced. This is closely related to how increased tourism is affecting the lives of Latin America's poor. Each year, as more and more foreigners travel to places like Puerto Hermanos, the quality of life continues to decline, similar to Cuba's sex tourism industry. As it became more readily available, more and more foreigners began traveling to Cuba for the “exotic” women. Even though there was no direct relation to the revolution in the event I attended, there were many examples of social and cultural change in Latin American countries presented. . Over the course of the semester we addressed various topics that affected Latin American countries. For example, Manifest Destiny, the idea that it is America's God-given right to expand its territory, can be compared to Latin American countries. Right now, it's my opinion that there are a lot of similarities between what the United States was doing in the last century and today. The owners of Costa Rica's most popular resorts, hotels and attractions are foreign investors, particularly from the United States. It is unfortunate that foreign investors, combined with increased tourism, bring direct hardship to the community where they holiday. Another example is the “Good Neighbor Policy,” created on March 2, 1934. It was designed to end the Platt Amendment and create a “two-way” street for trade and relations between the United States and neighboring countries. 'Latin America..