Costa Rica Aims to Jumpstart Recovery

William Rodriguez has only been Minister of Tourism for Costa Rica for four months, but the official has 49 years of experience in the industry -as country manager for United Airlines, as a manager of a hotel, with positions in the travel agency and tour operator sectors and with a previous stint as head of marketing for the tourism office.

With all that experience, Rodriguez believes he and his team can jumpstart visitor arrivals by diversifying the destination's product and through effective marketing. He said that most projections for pandemic recovery see 2024 or even 2025 as the time for returning to 2019 levels of visitors. But Rodriguez is determined to get to those levels by 2023. So far this year, the number of visitors is 73% of 2019 but the numbers from the U.S. are only down 4% from the pre-pandemic period.

Achieving those results is only one of three personal goals for Rodriguez. He also wants to launch an economic assistance program for tourism businesses, which he said are mostly micro- and mini-enterprises that are either family-run or otherwise smaller ventures. The assistance program will be announced on Sept. 27, which is United Nations World Tourism Day. The third goal is to raise the profile of the social elements of Costa Rican tourism. He explained that means focusing on how Costa Ricans can benefit from tourism. A plan is in the works, said Rodriguez, to raise the profile of the social elements of tourism both within the country and for those who are potential visitors.

Beyond Beaches

While Rodriguez has his own goals, the government also has a five-year plan that includes diversifying its product and thus its appeal to visitors. While beaches are the top attraction in a country that has both Pacific and Caribbean coasts, he would also like to promote the country's natural gifts and its quality of life.

The country has a marketing campaign called Life's Essentials that highlights four attributes:

- Adventure travel and all the affiliated activities that go with it - both "soft" and more rigorous

- Natural beauty - the beaches, of course, but also flora and fauna. With volcanoes, mountains, rainforests and other natural settings, there is potential for a great variety of outdoor activities. In fact, more than 30% of Costa Rica is comprised of protected areas, which includes national parks.

- Wellness, which Rodriguez said is more about well-being, connecting with oneself and adopting local principles around wellness that visitors can bring home to their friends and family and invite them to share

- Pura Vida (Pure Life) - Costa Rica's long-established approach to its admired quality of life. Rodriguez said recent UN research showed Costa Rica is the happiest country in Latin America. He pointed out that the government abolished its military in 1950 so it could invest in education and other elements critical to a good life.

With a more nuanced appeal to selling the country than simply sun and beaches, said Rodriguez, travel advisors are key to promoting Costa Rica. "We understand," he said, "that we have a destination that is best booked through a travel advisor." As a result, he said, advisor education is being ramped up - and more fam trips are being planned because, he said, "there is nothing like experiencing the destination."

Because of its diversity, said Rodriguez, Costa Rica has an unusually long average length of stay behind only distant Australia and New Zealand. He said many visitors start on the beach, then venture into the mountains, rainforests and cities. He said that is easy because infrastructure - including connectivity - is of high quality throughout the country.

That infrastructure, said Rodriguez, includes hotels of every category - from bed and breakfasts to luxury resorts. In fact, there are four luxury properties under construction on the Pacific coast alone - a Ritz-Carlton, a Six Senses, a Waldorf Astoria and a One & Only - all of which should be completed in two years.

And the country is easy to get to, according to Rodriguez. It has, he said, the third most U.S. airlines flying to the destination - after Canada and Mexico. And the coming cruise season will be the best in years - stronger than even before the pandemic with 400 ships arriving on both coasts.

Looking ahead, Rodriguez said Costa Rica will concentrate on the feeder markets that have been producing visitors because the tourism authorities have knowledge of those places. There will be concentrated efforts in Canada, Mexico, the US and six countries in Europe. "We are not going to develop new markets," said Rodriguez, "because it's a time to be efficient and get the best of the markets we know."

The profile of visitors has changed, said Rodriguez. While 50% of visitors pre-pandemic were families, that mix is changing with a growing percentage of friends' groups and younger travelers. That shift, he said, could change the way the country promotes. In addition, the US market is growing. Pre-pandemic, it was 42% of total arrivals and it is now 60%.

With all that it has to offer, said Rodriguez, Costa Rica has one main attraction. He explained that in a recent survey, visitors were asked the main reason they enjoyed their trip and 96% answered "Costa Ricans and the relationships we had with locals."

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