The Costa Rica Tourism Board signed this week a cooperation agreement with the Association Wellness Costa Rica, valid for a four year period (extendable )

The agreement encompasses nine objectives, among them the organization of activities that seek the national and international recognition of Costa Rica as a wellness destination, trainings, continuing education and the professional training of the wellness tourism sector as well as offering touristic businesses the necessary marketing tools for the promotion of this segment.

“The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is modernizing and opening up to the needs of the market”, explained Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism. “We are committing to promote politics that boost wellness tourism within the offer of the country”.

“Wellness tourism is a worldwide phenomenon of great economic importance, growing twice faster that global tourism. Between 2013 and 2015, por example, the profits of this sector in the world grew 14% reaching $563 billion, and the Global Wellness Institute estimates that by the year 2020 it will reach $808 billion”, details the press release.

“Every area of the country has particular characteristics that can result in products for this sector with the right platforms of training and innovation”, stated the president of the Association Wellness Costa Rica, Laura Barrantes Requeno.

The ICT also awarded to the Costa Rican Institute of Technical Standards (INTECO) the contracting to develop a national regulation that establishes the service requirements that must be fulfilled by wellness Spas for their accreditation as such.

Within the next six months INTECO will also train a group of 30 people on the requirements that wellness SPA’s must fulfill using as reference the international norms ISO 17679 “Tourism and related services – Wellness Spa- Service requirements” and UNE 186001 “Establishment of health spas. Requirements for service”.

Once they receive accreditation of ICT the wellness Spas can opt for a ISO 17679 certification through INTECO.

“This is a first step, our intention is to continue working with INTECO to develop additional norms that guarantee the quality of the service offered to nationals and foreigners”, commented Gustavo Alvarado director of Touristic Management of ICT.
SOURCE: Costa Rican Tourism Board