Costa Rica concluded its successful participation in FITUR 2026 to the rhythm of “calypso” and “criollo swing”

Dozens of potential Spanish tourists smiled as they enjoyed themselves to the rhythm of Costa Rican calypso and swing criollo. This took place at the Costa Rica stand during the closing of FITUR 2026, held this week at the IFEMA convention center in Madrid, Spain.

The organizers of one of the world's most important fairs dedicated January 24th and 25th to serving the general public, providing an ideal opportunity to showcase two dance styles recognized as part of Costa Rica's intangible cultural heritage. The choreography and audience interaction were led by dancer Diego Torres, accompanied by his dance partner.

This “Costa Rican territory” at FITUR stood out in the Americas Pavilion for its design with geometric structures, decorated with iconic images of species and must-see places such as the Rio Celeste waterfall or the Arenal Volcano, as well as for the inclusion of the words “Pura Vida” in a large format, observable from a long distance and its two levels to interact with visitors.

The first level was mainly dedicated to the distribution of the 40 tourism entrepreneurs from different companies, who negotiated their offer, as well as for a tasting space of 100% Costa Rican coffee and a section in which the Iberojet line offered promotions to motivate Spaniards to plan their next vacation to Costa Rica.

The second level was used from January 21 to 23 as a negotiation area with airlines interested in flying to Costa Rica and Spanish companies with the possibility of making investments in tourism projects in our country.

Over the weekend, the second floor of the booth was transformed into a screening room to show an 8-minute short film titled “Your Vacation in Costa Rica.” The video explains how tourists can satisfy their need to disconnect from daily life and stimulate their senses amidst nature and all that Costa Rica has to offer.

FITUR, a global promotional showcase

“We’ve had a successful fair, and the 40 tourism entrepreneurs accompanying us have been busy from beginning to end attending to European and other international tour operators. FITUR is the best showcase for promoting Costa Rica in Europe. We’ve also conducted negotiations with airlines that will bear fruit soon, and made contact with investors who are announcing new projects in different parts of the country,” explained William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism, regarding the initial results of this 2026 edition of FITUR.

The official reported that approximately 100,000 people visited the Costa Rican stand between January 21 and 25. According to data from the FITUR organization, the 2016 edition featured 161 countries from five continents, 967 exhibitors, and more than 155,000 tourism professionals.

Source: ICT.