Reconnect With Costa Rica

Costa Rica is ready to welcome Canadian travellers back and the country’s Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura Sancho talked with Canadian Travel Press this week about the steps the country has taken to provide travellers with both a safe and enjoyable travel experience.

The minister told CTP that “tourism makes up 8.2% of Costa Rica’s GDP and provides hundreds of thousands of jobs each year, which are essential to the country’s economic growth and development. In 2019, we welcomed more than 3.1 million international travellers, many of them from Canada.”

However, he pointed out that: “COVID-19 has severely impacted the Costa Rican economy, leaving many workers without jobs and pay for several months. Within a context of unprecedented fiscal challenges for Costa Rica, a few proposals have been submitted to the Costa Rican economic government authorities which, pending approval by Congress, would provide monetary aid and resources to vulnerable micro, small and medium-sized tourism businesses registered with the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.”

But he made it clear that: “It is my goal to balance the short-term emotional, physical, and financial needs of stakeholders in the tourism industry without losing sight of the long-term task of ensuring that Costa Rica remains a key player in international tourism.”

For the full story, check out this week’s issue of CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS.