By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Under the premise that the U.S. market is the main provider of tourists to Costa Rica, the Tourism Institute, known as ICT for its acronym in Spanish, was presented last week at the U.S. Tour Operators Association Fair which took out in the city of Orlando in Florida.

"Being part of this fair represents an opportunity for Costa Rica to negotiate with business partners, carry out alliances and joint tourism promotion campaigns, training, the announcement of topics of interest, knowledge of trends and information gathering of the tourism market," said the institute in its statement.

According to the institute, the fair features tourist services wholesalers, who handle 60% of U.S. international tourism, an estimated 8.6 million tourists.

In addition, it is an event that has more than 40 years of experience and brings together 45 tour operators operating in the U.S. market, said the institute.

This week, Costa Rica was recognized among the 12 best exclusive destinations, according to the Central Holidays group.

According to the institute, Costa Rica was recognized at the top of the list of best exclusive destinations during the month of January in the Central Holidays site.

Central Holidays, presented the 12 best destinations of the year, in its report "A year of travel to our main destinations," along with recommendations to enjoy an exclusive vacation in the most desirable places, said the institute.

According to the institute, the Central Holidays guide is one of the most important tour operator and tour guide in the U.S. It guides the reader, taking into account the preferences, tastes and activities to be carried out, as well as the best weather to enjoy the destination.

According to Central Holidays in its new guide, “A Year of Traveling our Top Destinations,” the best option for where to travel in January is Costa Rica. "Enjoy the best weather of the year for adventures in San Jose's bustling capital, on Guanacaste's beaches, and along the Arenal Volcano. "


Related to the government seeking tourist campaigns, on Nov. the Consulate General of Costa Rica in Shanghai announced an advertising campaign about Costa Rica is displayed at a Shanghai metro station.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ads show information about Costa Rican culture and tourism and was exhibited from until Dec. 5.

"The exhibition makes it easier for passers-by and users of this public transport to open texts and listen to audios in Chinese and Spanish language," said the ministry in its statement.

According to the ministry, the Shanghai metro system of the 670-kilometer network is the largest in the world and the second busiest. It has 16 lines and 413 stations. "The exhibition is expected to bring the country closer to the 10 million users who travel daily through the Shanghai subway system."

The exhibition is part of an initiative of the Instituto Cervantes de España entitled “With the Spanish language in your suitcase” in which the 12 Latin American countries participate to promote the Spanish language that counts 600 million speakers and is the second language with the largest number of speakers in the world.

According to the ministry, the 12 busiest subway stations in Shanghai have been selected where the tourism campaign of each country is displayed in one train car.

"Costa Rica was assigned the subway station in Lujiazui, in the central district of Pudong and in the heart of one of the most important financial districts of China and Asia," said the ministry.

According to the ministry, the station with the ads of Costa Rica, is one of the five busiest stations in the city with an average of almost 1.5 million users per week, mainly tourists and professionals living in Shanghai.

The car with the advertising campaign of Costa Rica highlights its flora and fauna with images of hummingbird, sloth and the Costa Rica Essential brand. It also includes information about Costa Rica in Chinese and Spanish.

In addition, tickets of the subway were printed with the image of a hummingbird from Costa Rica.

Through this exhibition, the Chinese public will not only be able to virtually approach Costa Rica and the other Spanish-speaking countries, they can also play games like finding a treasure or playing raffles, the ministry said.

The games winners could earn a trip to any of the 12 Latin American countries they choose, said the ministry.
 
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