Costa Rica recently launched its new “Only the Essentials” advertising campaign aimed especially at the population of the United States and Canada. With this strategy, the Central American country seeks to expose the true essentials for enjoying life: direct-experience, sharing, nature, and culture. It also provides the opportunity for all those busy North American workers to reunite with themselves through a spiritual experience with nature and thus take a break in the paradisiacal oasis called Costa Rica.
“People nowadays are looking for authentic experiences and becoming more spiritual and this is a return to the basics. We want to offer the essentials of life here in Costa Rica, but it is not only to show our nature and diversity, but also the warmth and hospitality of our people that make all who visit from abroad fall in love with this country”, said Tourism Minister María Amalia Revelo.
It is important to know that 8.2% of Costa Rica’s GDP enters through tourism and that this, in turn, is the main source of income for thousands of families. Apart from ecological tourism, the Costa Rican nation offers rural tourism that connects tourists directly with cultural roots and indigenous Costa Rican communities.
“Tourism is one of the main engines of the Costa Rican economy that the Government wishes to promote and continue generating new jobs, growth, and well-being for the country,” said the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado. Likewise, he commented that “The effort that is being made today is a mechanism to distribute well-being throughout the country, to generate more tourism opportunities, more constant visits and thus generate more income to the country”.
The tourist advertising campaign started this September and will last two years, being activated in the US cities of New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Tampa-Orlando, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas-Houston, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago; in Canada it will include Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.
Ecotourism as the flag-bearer.
Since 1997 Costa Rica implemented its “Sustainable Tourism Certificate Program” (CST) to stimulate and help tourism providers in the country to commit to sustainable and ecologically- friendly business practices. It is important to know that this program is revered as the first of its kind in a developing nation and currently more than 400 tourism companies in the country are voluntarily certified.
Today, sustainable eco-tourism is a distinction that Costa Ricans proudly wear and this has been thanks to the constitution of a sustainable tourism economy through a public-private partnership approach. Always maintaining the status of being the country of the most biodiversity in the region.
Recently, the Costa Rican government announced a decarbonization plan “zero carbon”, with which it hopes to meet the objective of a carbon-free national industry by 2050. Regarding this plan, Costa Rican Tourism Minister María Revelo told us: “The plan describes four areas of focus: transport, industry, waste management, and agriculture, which are key to reversing the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and that will encourage the modernization and revitalization of a green economy. By creating this plan, we evaluate all scenarios and possible trajectories to achieve our goal of complete decarbonization by 2050 in the most cost-effective way. One of the most incredible transformations will be the development of an electric train that will provide the population with a modern public transport system that connects the four provinces of the country”, said the Minister.
Apart from this plan, the Latin American country is strengthening its security in all aspects to provide tourists with the greatest experience so they feel safe at all times during their visit. One of the measures to be taken is the increase in the number of personnel in the national security forces, also increasing the lifeguard staff on our beaches.
According to the words of Minister Revelo, “the challenge is to strengthen tourism services and products throughout the country without damaging our authenticity, local communities our the natural environment”, likewise she said, “Costa Rica is a small country with a natural wealth that allows exciting experiences 365 days a year”.
Without a doubt, if you want to live a unique ecotourism experience you must come to Costa Rica, where you will enjoy direct contact with our unparalleled nature, in addition to being able to delight yourself with the unmatched cordial treatment of its inhabitants.
