Costa Rican entrepreneurs reinforce the advantages of tourism in Costa Rica in the United States with the support of the ICT.
Since September 16th, a group of entrepreneurs from various branches of the national tourism sector has been touring four key cities on the East Coast of the United States to promote Costa Rica as a tourist destination for Americans.
This new promotional tour, organized by the ProImagen Group Association, which includes tour operators, receptive travel agencies, hotels, adventure parks, and vehicle rental companies, among others, is backed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). The goal is to reinforce the advantages that Costa Rica offers as a tourist destination for Americans.
According to the directors of the Proimagen Association, on this occasion, the cities to visit are Boston, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. These cities are located on the East Coast and are where the majority of the “best prospects” or individuals who have expressed a high level of interest in visiting the country soon reside, according to studies by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.
During the meetings in each city, approximately 200 American travel agents will be trained on how to sell Costa Rica. The aim is for local entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to present their full range of services directly to the participating agents. This will facilitate the necessary contacts and connections to seek an increase in tourist demand from Americans.
The tour began on Monday, the 16th, with the meeting in Boston, continues on Tuesday, the 17th, in New Jersey, Wednesday, the 18th, in Philadelphia, and concludes on Thursday, the 19th, in the capital, Washington DC. According to official figures, nearly 41% of the total tourists who arrived in the country in 2018 were from the United States. Moreover, concerning North America, of all the visits from that part of the continent (Mexico, Canada, and the United States), 80% were Americans.
According to the members of the Proimagen Board of Directors, the United States is the priority source market for Costa Rica. For this reason, in 2019, the Association and the ICT have planned promotional tours of this kind in 14 cities across the United States.
According to data from the ICT, during the first semester of 2019, a total of 734,509 tourists from the United States visited us, showing a growth of 5.9% via air travel. The majority of American tourists travel with their families, primarily seeking sun, beach, and eco-tourism activities such as hiking, volcano visits, and nature walks.