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Government
launches new campaign to attract tourists from the
U.S. and Canada
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff On Monday, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute along with the government launched the new 'Only the Essentials' campaign where the country is seen as an opportunity to connect with the essence of life, nature, well-being, culture, and adventure. This is to attract more tourists from the U.S. and Canada. "The campaign proposes a personal connection with what is truly substantial in life, because that is what Costa Rica offers through experiences, with landscapes, nature, culture, and adventure," said Marķa Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism. "This is a call to return to the essential." Regarding the campaign, President Carlos Alvarado said that the tourism industry contributes 8.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product and is the main source of income for thousands of families. "It is an engine of the Costa Rican economy that the government wishes to promote to continue generating jobs, growth, and well-being in the country." For two years, the campaign will take place in the U.S. cities as 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. And in Canada, in Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary. For example, in the U.S. ads will be displayed in public places, buses, taxis, and the subway station in Chicago. According to the Ministry, the campaign will also be published in online travel agencies, organizations specializing in tourism such as Trip Advisor, the AFAR travel magazine, and the New York Times newspaper, among others. This international campaign was produced by the international MMGY agency and the local agency Luz Marina, at the request of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. According to the Ministry of Tourism, this is the fourth international campaign to promote Costa Rica in North America. The first was called "No Artificial Ingredients" in 1997, followed by "Gift of Happiness," "Save the Americans" and "My Natural Decision." According to the Tourism Satellite Account of the Central Bank of Costa Rica, the tourism industry contributes 6.3 percent directly and 1.9 percent indirectly to the national economy, adding 8.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. In addition, 8.8 percent of all jobs in the country come directly from tourism. During the first half of this year, from January to June, the country accounted for 1,549,812 tourist arrivals by air, which is the main port of entry for international tourism. Of that total, 65 percent came from the United States and Canada. On March, as A.M. Costa Rica previously reported, the Institute reported that directors of seven airlines showed positive results in recent months as a result of flights to Costa Rica.  Minister Revelo said, "in 2006 Costa Rica only had an indirect flight to Europe; At present there are eight airlines that offer flights between the old world and Costa Rica, seven of them directly and one with a stop, which is evidence of the great leap that has taken our country as a result of its strategy of attracting airlines." Minister Revelo, who personally attended meetings with representatives of Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Edelweiss and Condor, confirmed that Costa Rica is one of the destinations that generate the best results for these companies in the region, and they intend to continue growing in the near future. "Undoubtedly the existence of direct flights Europe-Costa Rica encourages domestic companies to seek more opportunities to attract tourists to the country; this work, following the presidential mandate and the Minister, we will strengthen it hand in hand with our airports and the private sector," said Hermes Navarro, director of Investment Attraction of the institute. According to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, by air in 2018 there were 414,722 arrivals of Europeans to Costa Rica, the majority coming from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. This figure is 7.6 percent higher than in 2017. In January 2019 there were 248,754 tourists who arrived by air an increase of 9.2 percent in relation to the same month of 2018. Of the total of tourists, 45,643 passengers arrived from Europe, and that is 4.2 percent more than in January 2018. ------------------------ What motivated you to come to Costa Rica for the first time? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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