Costa Rica is stepping up efforts to attract more visitors from Europe, with a strong presence this week at ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest travel trade shows.

The Tourism Institute (ICT) participated in the event alongside representatives from 30 Costa Rican tourism companies. The fair, formally called ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin), is being held at the Messe Berlin convention center in Berlin, Germany.

According to organizers, the event featured 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and drew about 170,000 visitors. It is widely considered a leading global trade show for business travel, cruises, cultural tourism, budget accommodations and adventure travel, among other sectors.

 

ICT officials said they developed a strategy aimed at increasing tourism from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom. The plan includes an advertising campaign in Germany with television, radio and digital media posts promoting Costa Rica’s nature and adventure offerings.

The commercials were filmed in locations across the country, including San José, Poás Volcano in Alajuela, and beaches along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

According to ICT estimates, Costa Rica welcomed more than 2.6 million air travelers in 2025. Of those, more than 400,000 visitors came from Europe, primarily from Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Participation in ITB Berlin is part of a broader strategy to expand international tourism. Recently, Costa Rica promoted its “Pura Vida” travel brand and nature-based experiences at the Travel & Adventure Show in New York, U.S.A.

In 2024, the tourism sector generated more than $5.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

ICT is the government agency responsible for promoting Costa Rica’s tourism industry.

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