Costa Rica will host the 2024 Americas Social Tourism Summit to be held on October 23-25, next year.

 

The official announcement was made by the International Social Tourism Organization (ISTO).

According to the Institute of Tourism, the main goal of this meeting is to share the vision for tourism that ISTO has been promoting and implementing through its global partners. 

This event also sets out to create an additional space for the exchange of ideas, models and strategies through collaboration and innovation to promote and develop social tourism throughout the Americas and in Costa Rica.

Previous summits have been held in Montreal and Quebec in Canada, Mexico City in Mexico and São Paulo in Brazil.

The meeting that will be held in Costa Rica is divided into three different subjects, each one with a focus on raising awareness and adopting best practices in social tourism. 

These practices emphasize solidarity and sustainability and are currently being applied in some countries in the Americas. 

In addition, a seminar will be held entitled “Tourism and sustainability: rights, access and current challenges for Social Tourism.”

The ISTO Annual General Meeting will also be held, along with a series of expert visits to interested companies that will showcase successful social tourism experiences in Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica, social tourism is seen as a universal right that guarantees access to rest, recreation, leisure and free time with suitable economic conditions, accessibility, security, comfort and quality for populations who are experiencing social and economic vulnerability.

As part of a program to promote wheelchair-accessible tourism, the Institute recently financed the travel of four U.S. influencers to various tourist attractions around the country.  The accessible travel influencers published photos and videos on social media of their excursions to wheelchair-accessible tourism locations.

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Costa Rica. As of Sept., there were over 1.8 million tourists.

Last year, about 2.3 million tourists visited the country. That is one million more visitors than in 2021.

ISTO is a not-for-profit organization created in Brussels in 1963. It is known as the home of socially responsible tourism around the world. It has over 150 partners in 47 countries around the world and it promotes close collaboration between its members and partners.

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What have you heard about social tourism development in your country?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com