The Pro Image Association kicked off 2016 with strength. The first meeting of the year took place with Aeromexico on January 11th, with Enrique Sandoval, Commercial Manager for Costa Rica, and David Arias, Sales Executive, to strengthen commercial ties.
A couple of days later, a successful and promising meeting was held with the Marketing Department of the ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Board). Subsequently, a board meeting and lunch were held, with members motivated by the significant projects to be developed jointly with the ICT for the promotion of Costa Rica abroad. Hermes Navarro, leader in the Investment Attraction Unit at the ICT, assures that this year is on a very good path since Costa Rica now has flights from all airlines from the United States, and important routes have increased in frequency. Mexico stands out as a market of utmost importance, with the three airlines covering this market always showing good occupancy.
On February 4th, the first informative breakfast of 2016 was held by our Pro Image Costa Rica Association at the newly renovated Hotel Parque del Lago. During the event, our members were informed about the promotional plan for 2016, which included a list of destinations presented to the ICT with their due justification and in order of priority. Details will be provided once they are approved. The next event will be in California during the month of March, and details will be sent shortly.
Also during the breakfast, the executive director of Pro Image, Ivonne Duarte, shared her experiences in Israel, a trip she was able to make through an invitation from the Israel Friendship Association in Tel Aviv. Visits to representatives of the Costa Rican Embassy in Israel, airlines, and wholesalers resulted in strategic alliances that can be exploited in the future.
Finally, discussions were held about the FAM trip with AVIANCA scheduled for March, inviting companies from California from February 26th to March 1st. The plan is to have a Tradeshow at the Radisson Hotel so that Pro Image associates can have work meetings with participants visiting us.
Continuing the search for strategic alliances, on February 9th, representatives of Pro Image met with Silvia Arias from American Airlines. Ideas for promoting Costa Rica in the US were discussed, including support for familiarization trips.
Thanks to the support of all our affiliates, we are confident that 2016 will continue to be as productive and successful as it has been so far.