Costa Rica participates from April 3rd to 5th in the World Travel Market Latin America (WTM) fair, the main event for the travel and tourism industry in Latin America, at the Expo Center Norte in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Nine Costa Rican companies attend the meeting, whose motto this year is “Explore new horizons” and invites you to learn about new trends and travel tools.The main goal of the ICT is to promote Costa Rica as a tourist destination suitable to be visited throughout the year and an example of sustainability in the world.
“With our participation we seek to attract, first of all, the Brazilian tourism market, the host country of the fair, which concentrates a large number of better prospects in the southern cities, mainly in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Florianópolis, among others, as well as exposing our offer to other markets of interest”, indicated Carolina Trejos, marketing director of the ICT.
The ICT has confirmed more than 25 business appointments with wholesalers and airlines from Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom and Uruguay, destinations that, according to the figures for visits to our country, have great potential as emitters of tourists to stimulate entry of travelers from these markets to Costa Rica. In addition, on April 4, he will give a promotional presentation of the destination for 50 Brazilian travel agents and wholesalers in order to provide them with valuable information that will be an important tool to promote the recommendation and tourist sale of the destination.
As happened at the ITB fair in Berlin the previous March, the ICT and the Costa Rican companies participating in the event in Brazil will offset the carbon footprint of their air travel.
In the WTM Latin America 2023, the Costa Rican companies exhibit: Meridianos Travel Agency, Best of Costa Rica Tour Operator DMC, Travel Excellence, Hotel San Bada Manuel Antonio, Green World Adventures, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín, EC Rent a car, Costa Rica Top Tours and Destination Services Costa Rica.
Great exposure
94% of the visitors to the WTM Latin America come from Latin America and 6% from other regions of the world. According to the organization, this year 20,000 influential travel and tourism professionals and 565 exhibiting companies participate.47% of the exhibitors come from Brazil, 25% from America and the Caribbean, 16% from Europe, 8% from Africa and the Middle East and 4% from Asia.
According to the characterization of the market carried out by the ICT in 2019, the tourist who visits Costa Rica from Brazil does so, mainly, in the months of December, January and July. 33.6% travel as a couple and 27.2% do so without company, followed by 19.2% with family, 18.1% with friends and 1.9% with friends or family.
Main attractions
For the period 2017-2019, the average stay of Brazilian tourists was estimated at 13.6 nights and a daily expenditure of US $118.8 during their stay in Costa Rica.Sun and beach activities are their favourites, followed by surfing, flora and fauna observation, enjoying local cuisine, visiting volcanoes, shopping, trekking or hiking; enjoy the hot springs, visit museums, theaters or art galleries and travel to indigenous communities, towns or churches.
According to data from the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration analyzed by the ICT, during 2022 a total of 102,484 tourists entered by air from South America, that is, 59% of the figures for 2019. Of these, 24,816 came from Colombia, 17,731 from Argentina, 16,118 from Peru, 14,830 from Brazil, 13,634 from Chile and 3,363 from Uruguay.
