Community Association Turns La Fortuna Waterfall Profits into Local Benefits

Tourists flock to the La Fortuna waterfall, a highly ranked destination that draws about 350,000 visitors annually, but the site is not owned by a private company or the state. Instead, the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de La Fortuna (Adifort), a community-run nonprofit, collects entrance fees and reinvests them in local amenities, including a semi-Olympic pool, a shopping centre, a bus terminal, a soccer field and the town square.

The group, which oversees assets worth close to $44 million, receives modest state support but generates most of its budget independently. Visitors like Spanish veterinarian Yeray Macías and New Jersey tourist Mark Rodríguez have expressed surprise and approval upon learning of the model. Adifort’s commercial director José Eduardo Jiménez highlighted the venture’s role in promoting responsible tourism and cited plans to expand with a glass bridge and educational itineraries. The initiative showcases how communal ownership can sustain tourism while delivering tangible benefits to residents of the 15,000-inhabitant district.