Costa Rica is working to draw more European visitors, particularly from Spain, through its participation in the Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings (IBTM) trade show in Barcelona.

The Tourism Institute (ICT) said IBTM Spain is one of the world’s leading trade shows focused on meetings, incentives, conferences, events and business travel. The event brings together more than 3,000 exhibitors from 150 countries and is considered the second-largest trade show in the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry.

The show gathers suppliers and buyers from across the meetings sector and features more than 100 educational sessions, giving participants the chance to conduct what officials described as “a year’s worth of business under one roof.”

Costa Rica’s delegation includes the Costa Rican Convention Bureau and representatives from more than 15 tourism companies. Their goal is to promote the country as a prime destination for international meetings and events, also known as MICE tourism.

ICT highlighted several advantages Costa Rica offers for business events: strong air connectivity, a strategic geographic location, diverse experiences, high-quality infrastructure, a reliable healthcare system, a well-educated population and a wide range of visitor activities.

Costa Rica is also a member of the U.S.-based Professional Convention Management Association, part of a broader strategy to strengthen its presence in the global MICE market, where events are often planned years in advance.


ICT said the conference and events segment represents 22% of global tourism, and MICE travelers typically have higher incomes, spending three to four times more than leisure tourists.


Costa Rica is showcasing a 72-square-meter booth where hotel groups, meeting centers and other tourism companies are participating in the event.


This was the country’s final major tourism fair of the year, providing “an opportunity for Costa Rica to motivate European travelers to choose our country as their vacation destination, helping us continue bringing social progress to our communities,” the institute said.

IBTM Spain is one of several international tourism fairs that Costa Rica has attended recently. The country also participated in the World Travel Market (WTM) trade show in London, U.K.

According to ICT data, more than 35,000 European tourists arrived in Costa Rica by air as of September.  During the same period, more than 2.2 million travelers arrived in Costa Rica by air overall.

In 2024, the country welcomed over 2.6 million international air arrivals, a 7% increase from the previous year.

The sector also generated more than $5.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings in 2024.

ICT is the government agency responsible for promoting tourism and investing in infrastructure improvements.