Merlyn Oviedo was born in Guápiles, but was raised in La Palma de Puerto Jiménez, where he founded the Hotel Danta Corcovado Lodge. “I had the need to undertake something different, since my father was a farmer and I did not have that vocation. Seeing that the Corcovado National Park, the indigenous territory and the Golfo Dulce were close to our property, the idea of entering the world of tourism occurred to me,” says Oviedo.
The hotel rooms are made with one hundred percent reforested wood and are designed in such a way that they allow the visitor to enjoy total contact with nature. More than 15 years ago, together with the Neotrópica Foundation, Oviedo was part of an entrepreneurial process that promoted him with his business project and now employs a large number of residents of the area. “For me it was an excellent opportunity at the right time, since I had ideas and a lot of energy for my project. This program helped us in the most business part, for example, administration, marketing, accounting and others”, he commented.
Merlyn assures that to succeed with a venture it is necessary to have desire, discipline, self-motivation and a lot of effort, characteristics that allow her to now be part of the audiovisual and photographic series "Faces of Tourism", from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. Said strategy consists of photographs and complementary audiovisual materials of members of the sector from different areas of the country highlighted for their efforts, it is shared from mid-June to the end of September on Facebook, Instagram and the ICT YouTube channel on special dates related to tourism.
The history of Merlyn is a tribute to the 80% of SMEs and SMEs that make up the Costa Rican tourism sector, especially because this June 27th is the Day of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, defined as such by the General Assembly. of the United Nations with the aim of raising awareness about its contribution to the objectives of sustainable development and the global economy. Everything learned in these years has worked for Merlyn to move forward despite the pandemic crisis and make decisions that, although difficult at the beginning of the health crisis, helped her to stay afloat with her business.
“I grew up close to nature and now I feel that I really enjoy taking care of it, but I also believe that it is my responsibility and it is very satisfying to know that my project goes hand in hand with the protection of natural resources,” he added. Puerto Jiménez, where Danta Lodge is located, has everything to offer national and international tourism: Corcovado National Park, Golfo Dulce and the Indigenous territory. “It is an excellent place for bird, dolphin and whale watching, for night walks, canopy tours, bioluminescence tours, kayaking, learning about indigenous culture, to name a few examples,” concluded Oviedo.