According to a plan by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), the country is expected to attract close to $1.3 billion USD in the next five years by hosting at least 950 congresses and conventions with a minimum assistance of 500 delegates each.

The plan of the ICT denominated “Ambassadors Program” includes the active participation of leaders in different productive sectors in the country as “country ambassadors”; their “job” will be to attract tourist to the country to participate in different seminars, conventions, etc. For instance, a physician who specializes in orthopedics can present Costa Rica’s candidature to host a world or regional congress in that particular specialty, with the assessment of the ICT and the Costa Rica Conventions Bureau.

The United States and Latin America are the first markets to be targeted in this five year plan according to consultant Juan José García.

The plan to exploit the meetings tourism market goes hand in hand with the construction of the Costa Rica National Congress and Convention Center which is expected to be concluded by the first trimester of 2018.

García explained that the amount of $1.3 billion USD is calculated in data by the International Association of Congresses and Conventions for the year 2015; according to this source, a delegate in a congress invests aside from the plane ticket, an average of $2,255 USD during his stay in the hosting country.

Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism, explained that the international prestige the country has earned as a destination for vacation and adventure tourism sets the base to successfully promote other forms of tourism. The World Economic Forum listed Costa Rica in the first place for ecotourism and second in adventure tourism. Costa Rica’s geographic location, excellent weather and improved air connections with more direct flights also play an important role.

Costa Rica will be competing in this new modality with countries that have been part of this market for years, such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru.