Costa Rica: Promotional tourism tours in Europe, the United States and Mexico exceed 400 business meetings

In a notable effort to attract more tourists to Costa Rica, especially during the green season, the organization Proimagen Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), together with 25 companies in the tourism sector, held 400 business meetings in cities with notable potential in Europe, the United States and Mexico during the first six months of 2024. These strategic actions seek to consolidate Costa Rica as a preferred tourist destination for high-income and environmentally conscious travelers.

“As part of the strategic actions to promote Costa Rica, we have established an alliance with Proimagen for the joint organization of tours in cities with high potential for bringing the latest in the Costa Rican tourism product closer to specialized tourism professionals. More than 400 one-on-one and face-to-face negotiation meetings have been arranged with travel agents and tour operators interested in our country in Hamburg, Germany; Vienna and Zurich in Switzerland, as well as in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Boston in the United States, without leaving aside Mexico City, Querétaro, León and Guadalajara. Other cities in North America and Europe are planned for the end of the year,” said Ireth Rodríguez, head of Promotion of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. Rodríguez highlighted the value of joint work that allowed refreshing and strengthening the positioning of Costa Rica as a year-round destination with a solid tourism platform and multiple alternatives for outdoor and adventure activities, together with unique and experiential approaches to nature, gastronomy and culture.

European tour: Hamburg, Vienna and Zurich

Last March, the Costa Rican mission participated in ITB Berlin 2024, one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, and continued with the first of the series of business meetings in Hamburg, Vienna and Zurich. By air, Germany, the second largest source of European tourists to Costa Rica, registered more than 45 thousand tourists by air in the first 7 months of 2024, while Switzerland and Austria contributed with almost 20 thousand travelers by the same route in the same period of this year.

“Europeans are great travelers and value planning and the quality of their vacations. Their high spending capacity and preference for direct flights, such as those offered by Lufthansa and Edelweiss Air, make Germany, Switzerland and Austria key markets for us,” said Daniel Chavarría, director of Proimagen Costa Rica.

US Tour: San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Boston

In May, Proimagen Costa Rica and the ICT met with more than 200 travel agencies in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Boston. Between January and July 2024, Costa Rica received 1.1 million American tourists by air, with an increase of more than 17% compared to the same period in 2023.

Christian D´oñas, president of Proimagen Costa Rica, highlighted: “Our focus for the 2024 tour in the United States was on promoting nature experiences, outdoor activities and non-traditional destinations. San Francisco and Chicago, in particular, are strategic markets due to their air connectivity, high educational level and environmental awareness,” he said.

Tour in Mexico: Mexico City, Querétaro, León and Guadalajara

In June, the Costa Rican mission visited Mexico, Querétaro, León and Guadalajara, promoting the unique experiences that Costa Rica offers. In 2024, in the period between January and July, Costa Rica received almost 54 thousand Mexican tourists by air. Mexican tourists have increased their stay in Costa Rica from 7 to 10 nights in the last three years and the market has experienced a remarkable recovery of more than 19% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The Mexican market is becoming more and more attractive, with potential tourists showing a high level of interest in traveling to Costa Rica on their next vacation. Mexicans now want to explore beyond San José, visiting regions such as Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde, Rincón de la Vieja and the South Caribbean.

Conclusion and Next Steps

The 400 business meetings held on these three tours seek not only to attract more tourists to Costa Rica, but also to promote sustainability and a more equitable distribution of tourism throughout the country. These Proimagen Costa Rica events consist of a platform that makes available for entrepreneurs or tourism companies to do business with travel agents and other industry professionals abroad.

Finally, Proimagen Costa Rica, with the support of the ICT, has planned to continue with this series of business tours to promote the country, specifically this August in the state of Florida in the United States; in October, together with a group of businessmen, it will travel to Canada and in November it will close the year with an intense tour in other cities in the key market of Europe.

In addition, we will continue to work in collaboration with tourism companies to close deals and establish alliances with travel agents and tour operators around the world, actions that will undoubtedly contribute to the increase in visitation by new travelers and, therefore, the activation of tourism chains. The next tours will focus on consolidating these efforts and continuing to position Costa Rica as a leading tourist destination globally.

Source: ICT.