The President of the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves, is interested in attracting tourism from China. This is how he expressed it in an interview given to the China Global Television Network (CGTN), in which he highlighted the tourist attractions that Costa Rica has for Asians.
Enjoying from landscapes, mountains, beaches, and biological diversity, to the environmental sustainability of the tropical country… In addition to these attractions, the president offered peace and security to Chinese tourists “China exports tourists in huge numbers and few come here. We might be interested in bringing more Chinese tourists to Costa Rica in combination with trips to the rest of the hemisphere, but since our countries are so different, I am sure that the Chinese will enjoy the scenic beauty, peace and security of Costa Rica, which frankly I do not believe. There is another country in Latin America that presents these conditions”, replied the head of State.
Chaves was also open to the possibility of offering cooperation to the Asian country to conserve biodiversity. “Absolutely, this is something that Costa can help the rest of the world with, we have done it, it is the only tropical country in the world that was not only able to stop deforestation but also went from 25% forest cover to 50%,” he said. .
Tourism potential and challenges implied
In 2019, there were 16,847 Chinese visitors, a figure that registers an increase compared to 2012 when 12,799 tourists from that country were registered, according to data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). Susan Chen, carried out the study called “Characterization of Chinese tourism and Costa Rican offer: an approach to a tourism attraction strategy”, published in the international journal of Asian studies (July-December 2022 edition) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
In this analysis, Chen warns that Costa Rica must prepare itself, for the 154 million people from China who annually make tourism outside their country. Within the preparation, it is very important to consider the issue of citizen security. “The offer of a safe country is one of the elements that Chinese people consider important when selecting a tourist destination”, warned the expert.
In her opinion, direct flights should also be chosen to shorten times and improve prices, as well as an improvement in the visa process. At the same time, he recommends having knowledge of Chinese culture and training staff in this language. “For example: having hot tea as a drink instead of cold water, knowing that red is a lucky color, treating older people with respect, having water heaters in the rooms, free WiFi, TV channels Chinese, breakfasts adapted to your palate, as well as feeding schedules, etc.”, Chen indicated. Other options are to include the Chinese language in tourist sites and guides who speak this language.
The main problems of Costa Rica
The promise of security for Chinese tourism comes as Costa Ricans consider this the country’s main problem, according to a survey published at the end of April by the CIEP of the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
In this way, it is in first place with 34.7%, well above the cost of living and economic situation (17.7%) and unemployment (15.8%). “The last time that insecurity appeared as the main problem in the country was in March and August 2018. The cost of living and the economic situation ranked second with 17.7%, followed by unemployment in third place with a 15.8%”, recalled the CIEP.
The study also measured the level of confidence of the population in the current government to solve the country’s main problem. 60% of the responses indicate “no or little confidence”, while 40% maintain “a lot of or some confidence” in the government’s ability to deal with problems such as insecurity and crime, the study indicates. “This indicator has deteriorated compared to the past. According to the data from November 2022, 49% indicated no or little confidence, compared to 51% indicating that they have a lot and some confidence that the current government can solve the main problems of the country”, said the CIEP.
Likewise, the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) registered this Wednesday 300 homicides between January 1st and May 3rd, which if this trend continues, specialists consider that the year could close with between 800 and 900 murders.
“Winning to win”
On the other hand, the president expressed interest in importing capital for infrastructure and foreign direct investment. “We are interested in the Chinese market, which is growing. In China, there is an increasing demand for protein. We produce meat, pork, fresh fruits and vegetables; that is where I see the winning to win issue”, he pointed out in the interview.
Chaves said that he has asked the Chinese government for a conversation with Xi-Jinping, leader of this country with a view to increasing agreements that allow for increased investment. “I would love to see Chinese companies come to establish themselves in Costa Rica to produce and export to those markets from here. Costa Rica has a significant infrastructure deficit, China has excess savings. We need to import capital and China needs to export it, winning to win”, continued the president.
Chaves believes that it is a good option for these companies to settle in free zones so that they produce and export to countries in the region. Other topics that were touched on in the interview have to do with the opinion of the president on the Communist Party of China. “I am respectful, they have a governance system that I respect, congratulations to China, they have succeeded in eradicating extreme poverty at a speed unprecedented in the history of the world”, he finally said.
