Costa Rica: of adventure and sustainability

The Costa Rica Tourism Board brought its wide range of travel offerings north this week, visiting with Canadian travel professionals to showcase what the Central American country has in store for 2016.

In a one-on-one interview with PAX, Alejandro Castro, chief marketing officer for the Costa Rica Tourism Board, explained what the destination can offer for the steadily rising number of Canadian travellers; according to Castro, Costa Rica saw an eight per cent year-over-year increase in Canadian arrivals in 2014, thanks in large part to increased connectivity offered across all major Canadian airlines.

Adventure awaits

With multiple landscapes and climates “within a space the size of West Virginia” as Castro described it, it’s no surprise that adventure and active travel are perhaps the main tourist draws to Costa Rica.

“We have the perfect playground - we just need the people to fill it,” he joked.

It’s a playground which features some of the best surfing in the world, as well as opportunities for kayaking, paddle-boarding, kite-surfing and whitewater rafting; the country’s warm waters allow one to forgo a wetsuit, Castro said. On dry land, adventurous travellers can trek through endless lush, green rainforest or get closer to the tree canopy by traversing hanging bridges or ziplines. From shore to jungle to mountaintop, travellers can also enjoy the destination’s biodiversity, including numerous species of plants and animals found in each of Costa Rica’s different climate regions.

In keeping with an overall sense of social responsibility felt throughout the destination (which has also led to the country’s reputation as an LGBT-friendly environment), many of Costa Rica’s trails, bridges and mountain trams are accessible by wheelchair, Castro told PAX, adding that the country’s Carara National Park is completely accessible.

Carving niches

With several major U.S. corporations (including Intel and Boston Scientific) establishing operations in Costa Rica in recent years, Castro said the destination has become a MICE hotspot; a new 15,000 square-metre conference centre scheduled to open by 2018 attests to this fact, slated to become the largest facility of its kind in the country with capacity for 5,000.

Shifting from business to pleasure, Costa Rica is also home to a growing destination wedding industry, Castro said, with numerous venues, boutique hotels and wedding specialists ready to help plan a couple’s special day. With the lush natural setting providing the perfect backdrop, Castro said that the increased airlift from Canada is helping to grow this particular segment to compete with popular wedding hotspots in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Wellness is another growing niche in Costa Rica, he explained, particularly the merging of soft adventure and health; in the village of Nosara, for example, Castro said that the popular surfing town has begun to welcome yoga retreats.

Sustainability and gastronomy

“Sustainability and wellness is part of our DNA,” Castro said of the Costa Rican approach to all aspects of life – tourism included.

The country has been providing tourism attractions with sustainability certification since 1996, based on the criteria of social, environmental and economic impacts, he said; tax credits are then provided to companies that uphold the country’s sustainability standards.

The board’s past campaign of ‘No Artificial Ingredients’ speaks directly to this spirit, evoking notions of both eco-friendly choices as well as the country’s growing reputation as a gastronomy hotspot (particularly in San Jose). Castro said that Costa Rica’s culinary scene has witnessed many of the country’s youth return home after studying abroad to combine their newfound knowledge with tradition, putting new twists on classic Costa Rican dishes.

While organic farmers’ markets are nothing new for the country, the emphasis on local, homegrown food has seen a rise in farm-to-table movements, Castro said, while a burgeoning microbrew scene in the country has also resulted in the contemporary trend toward local beers incorporating the country’s indigenous ingredients.

“Many Costa Ricans don’t necessarily see any sort of ‘movement’ - it’s just how it is to them,” Castro explained.

Selling Costa Rica

• Direct flights from Canada to Costa Rica (which has two international airports) are offered by Air Canada, WestJet, Transat and Sunwing; WestJet will launch a new Calgary-Liberia route later this year, Castro said.
• Costa Rica’s relatively compact size allows travellers to experience a wide variety of terrain and activities within a single vacation.
• The destination boasts numerous high-quality hotel and resort companies with many all-inclusive options, Castro said; properties from JW Marriott, Four Seasons, RIU and Barcelo can be found in Costa Rica, with Melia set to open a resort there next year, he added. And for travellers looking for something different, Costa Rica provides many unique, local properties – perfect for returning travellers seeking a new experience the second time around.