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The 2017 Costa Rica Sustainable Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference was held at the Real Intercontinental Hotel this past November 13 and 14 and had the presence of over 200 participants, among them, investors, developers and specialized media from different parts of the world.
This was the first edition in Costa Rica of the conference on sustainable tourism investment, organized under the umbrella of SAHIC, the Latin-American Platform for Hotel & Tourism Deal-Making, “Costa Rica is the symbol of sustainability´s values, being recognized throughout the world as a unique tourist destination”, established Arturo García, President and founder of SAHIC in relation to the reasons Costa Rica was considered to host this event, and he continued, “The concept of sustainability is always present in the development of the industry but this is the first time a Conference is organized focusing on sustainable development, creating new and great opportunities for players from all over the world, interested in taking advantage of opportunities as well as in ensuring that they guarantee the future of future generations”
The goal of the conference was to “provide a unique opportunity to understand the local market, the keys to understand how to do business at a sustainable tourism sector and the perfect environment to connect with local hotel owners, investors, financiers and government officials”.
One of the topics discussed was in relation to the need and importance of creating spaces that are in harmony with the environment, surrounded by nature and which establish a connection and provide experiences with the community.
This tourism model promotes Eco-lodges and sustainable projects while limiting the space for projects that do not abide by this concept.
“Costa Rica is not focusing on whether it’s a small or large project, but in the sustainability, plan it presents”, explained Hermes Navarro, coordinator of investment attraction of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT).
Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism, considered that the results of what is being done today and the benefits of hosting a conference of this sort will be seen in the long term, “From all the people that participated (in the conference), the big majority had never been to Costa Rica. Now they begin to understand what we are doing with new air routes, new products, and promotion and they say ‘Things are happening in Costa Rica’, Costa Rica has to continue growing. There are places to discover, areas to develop and areas to invest in, without a doubt”.
Intercontinental, Marriot, Hilton, Pellas Development, AM Resorts, Accor Hotels were some of the participating companies in this event that touched on topics such as “the potential of luxury resorts in the sustainable era” and “opportunities of investment and development in Costa Rica.
