In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Rafael Quesada, Head of the Department of Promotion and Development of Specialized Segments of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
What is the reason you are here at this fair?
The main reason why more business people are coming here to the fair is that the country is definitely growing in interest with regard to the tourism and meetings segment, and we hope that this will continue to evolve in the coming years.
What is the status of the convention center's capacity? Will there be any expansion?
An extension is currently being considered, it is being studied, but I think it still yields quite a bit.
What news can you tell us about the destination?
In the country we will have new hotel chains, such as One & Only in Guanacaste with 388 rooms, a Waldorf Astoria also with 190 rooms and 25 apartments and a Ritz Carlton with 107 rooms. Guanacaste is growing and we are aiming very hard at the luxury sector, so the country and the investments are going in that direction.
What other destinations are working to increase their tourist presence?
The Central Pacific is another very important part, with a lot of investment in the incentive segment. In fact, Guanacaste is in fifth place as a destination for incentives. It is also worth highlighting the work in the area of sustainability, budgets, and security, all of which are relevant.
We believe that Costa Rica is on everyone's lips for sustainability, because incentive groups are looking for it a lot and our destination stands out in all these areas. Costa Rica has been recognized worldwide for some time now as an eco-friendly destination. We have the MICE Forest initiative, which continues and grows more and more, with 400 acres with approximately 36,000 trees. Thus, we offset around 1,000 tons of carbon footprint per year. So when we go to a meeting, we offset the footprint of the participants.
When we are talking about the countries that host events in Costa Rica, which ones stand out?
The United States and Canada are the first to come. Many visitors also come from Latin America and South America, and we are now targeting some countries in Europe. As a novelty, we were ranked as the friendliest country in the world and the happiest country in the entire American continent. This also helps us with the philosophy that we are a “Pura Vida” country, aligned with the sustainability aspect.
Care for nature, for human beings and security is obviously very important when making incentives. And in the economic part we are a very stable country. The cost level depends on what each client is looking for. If, for example, they are looking for luxury, it may not be so cheap, but if it is a very boutique, very exclusive country.
Regarding air connectivity, are there any new developments?
We now have connectivity with Brazil, with the airline Gol, and also with Argentina. The legal side is also in our favour. We are going to carry out campaigns aimed especially at Brazil and Colombia, to further expand our reach and take advantage of the connectivity.