Costa Rica Brought Tourism Offers to Major Tourism Fair in England

Costa Rica Brought Tourism Offers to Major Tourism Fair in England

At a time when the country has bet on an increase in tourism promotion on the lookout for new visitors, Costa Rica participated, from November7 to November 10, in the World Travel Market in London, England.

This is the main tourism fair in England and, therefore, the Costa Rican Board of Tourism (ICT), together with 25 national companies, decided to attend with a wide tourist offer, opting for the promotion of sustainable tourism.According to ICT, this way, Costa Rica is going to be present in international tourism fairs, as part of market diversification strategies.

For the Minister of Tourism, Allan Flores, one of the most important reasons for the country to participate in these promotional activities is to advertise our strengths within an attractive market (Europeans stays in the country for longer periods). The main theme of the activity was “Sustainable Tourism”, the model that the tourism industry has endeavored to consolidate in the country.

"ICT continues to work hard in promoting the destination in highly profitable markets for the country. This is why we joined forces to ensure effective projection of this destination in the European market," he said.

The important event was held at the Excel London Convention Centre. Costa Rica occupied a space of 250 square meters with a stand that displayed the best of "No artificial ingredients," and showed off all the natural wealth of the country with the benefit of sustainability.

According to ICT, England is the fourth most represented country in Europe to visit Costa Rica, after Spain, Germany, and France, nations in which our country has also attended specialized tourism fairs.

According to the ICT records, more than 34, 000 British tourists visited us in 2010; almost half of them came on the recommendation of friends and family. Eighty percent of them arrived by plane.

From 2005 to 2009, their visits were an average of 14 nights and each person spent $93 a day.During their stay, a large majority were inclined for adventure activities like canopy, snorkeling, surfing, and hanging bridges, in addition to other traditional activities involving sun, beach, and bird watching, among others.

WTM: the Most Important Fair in England

WTM is an annual business event for professionals in the travel industry and news, and offers destinations around the world.Providers of travel and tourism products using this event as a showcase expect to raise awareness of the latest developments in the travel industry.

WTM brings together the world's largest industry promotion of destinations, tour operators, hotels, airlines, technology, and online travel services under one same roof and covers a wide range of sectors within the travel and tourism industry.

Responsible Tourism in WTM

In recent years, World Travel Market has dedicated one day to responsible tourism through a program that encourages debate, discussion, and action. The event highlights case studies and best practices.

It also has the participation of all sectors of the industry.Responsible tourism is not a fad. More and more governments, businesses, organizations, and consumers recognize the importance of responsible tourism, thereby making it a prominent issue in the industry’s agenda.

Costa Rica is a prime example of this trend that gives a double value to responsible tourism, which is fostering the commitment to sustainability through Certifications of Sustainable Tourism (CST), for example.