In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Carolina Trejos, Marketing Director of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.
With what expectations do you come to WTM, an event that is fundamental for all destinations in the Americas?
Last year we returned to Brazil, in fact we had not come to this fair and it was the first time we came. For us, the Brazilian market grew by more than 30% between 2022 and 2023, which is why it was important that we return this year to continue growing business relationships between entrepreneurs and operators here in Brazil. I see this second visit as very positive and also the next few years for Costa Rica in terms of promotion here.
Which businessmen accompany them and what destinations are present?
We come with nine entrepreneurs, the majority are operators, which allows us to have a greater impact on the product offering, because it does not focus solely on a single product, but the operators in Costa Rica have a fairly balanced portfolio across the entire product. that we sell, so you will find everything.
And they come to promote Brazil, which has in common with you the beach and nature product, obviously very focused on the outdoors. What do you perceive in that sense?
Historically, the Brazilian who arrived in Costa Rica in previous years was very driven by the topic of surfing, because here there is a very large surfing culture and in Costa Rica we have, in addition to a lot of natural beauty, the blessing of having good waves. So we were already positioned as a wave destination for that segment that is very large and very interesting in Brazil. When that Brazilian tourist went to Costa Rica looking for the waves and found a whole diversity, he began to spread word of mouth in a very interesting way.
After the pandemic, these attributes of our tourism product have become very relevant and Brazil has been no exception in realizing the offer that we have. I think the big difference, although in Brazil there is also everything, as in all of America, is that everything is concentrated, but the great value proposition that we offer is that in your same vacation of eight to twelve days you do everything that would take you several trips in a country as big as Brazil.
How is the year going for you? What are the next shows where you will perform?
We leave for Frankfurt, we are going to Imex in our Mice segment development and we will also be Fiexpo in Panama. We will return to Barcelona, we will participate in Imex in Las Vegas as well. And for the vacation part we will be visiting Paris for progress and WTM in London.
This year we are focusing on remembering that we are there, that Costa Rica is the benchmark for adventure. During this first quarter we were already, if I remember correctly, in about five or six fairs between Canada and the US.
How is the MICE segment for you?
MICE is where we are betting on growth for the coming years, especially in the area of congresses, due to the convention center, which is a venue that was built from its conception with everything it requires for the events to be sustainable and compensate and regenerate. a value after the event has taken place.
And the other issue that is of great importance within that segment is incentives, because precisely our vacation product is a product that aligns very well with what is sought for incentive events. And for us that impulse is very important because it helps us balance seasonality a little, it helps us to be able to maintain a significant flow of tourists to Costa Rica. Furthermore, they are large groups that require more professional services beyond tourism, involving more industries, companies, services, and families.
What is the experience of a tourist or business visitor arriving in the country?
We have always been recognized as a safe country, where you can breathe tranquility. We are very aware that the world is changing and that we, both those who live there and those who visit us, have to take care of what we have and be careful of ourselves. For us this is important not only for tourism but for our culture and history.