Costa Rica gets a lift with the addition of Porter flights

Costa Rica’s tourism trade is on the verge of getting a significant helping hand from Porter Airlines, with the carrier debuting service from Ontario next month to the Pacific coast-fronting destination of Liberia.

A Toronto route will start Dec. 4 and Ottawa service will begin Dec. 17.

The routes are scheduled to run into May and possibly beyond.

“We are really excited to have the Porter experience to Costa Rica,” Gustavo Inciarte of the Costa Rica Tourism Board told a recent Toronto gathering.

Inciarte said his destination has a well-deserved reputation for being committed to sustainability, with the Central American country having set aside large tracts of land for parks and was a pioneer in eco-tourism.

“In Costa Rica, it (sustainability) is not a trend. It’s a lifestyle…,” Inciarte told his audience. “We want the country to be as beautiful (in the future) as it is right now… Costa Rica practically invented the concept of sustainable tourism.”

Inciarte noted his destination has many ecolodges that can be found on different landscapes that include rainforest and Costa Rican terrain is also highlighted by many volcanoes.

But he also said that the country has “magnificent” beaches, some of which have white sand and others that are black sand.

Horseback riding on beaches and surfing are among available activities.

Among Costa Rican wildlife are sloths, often seen as symbolic of the country. Inciarte added that tourists can awaken in the morning to the sound of chattering monkeys and Costa Rica is home to sea turtles.

Inciarte said Costa Rica’s smallish size means tourists can have breakfast on its Pacific coast and dinner on its Caribbean shores.

He also noted Costa Rica has many spas and yoga retreats: “If you just want to chill, Costa Rica is the place to go.”

Inciarte said tourists shouldn’t avoid visiting Costa Rica during its rainy season, adding that time of year sees “beautiful, warm rain. That’s why Costa Rica is so beautiful and green.”

Meanwhile, Inciarte noted that the Costa Rica Specialist Program provides travel agents with a number of benefits,  including tourism updates.