Tourism entrepreneurs, accompanied and advised by the organization Proimagen Costa Rica, flew more than 9 thousand kilometers to Germany, Austria and Switzerland to meet and negotiate with 150 agencies from these nations and bring more tourism to the country.
The tour, an initiative that is part of a completely private effort, began with a visit to Hamburg, Germany, on March 11. Later, they moved to Vienna, the capital of Austria, on March 12. Finally, on March 13 they conclude their tour in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, which has a direct flight to Costa Rica and one of its most prominent financial and cultural centers.Previously, the Costa Rican mission participated between March 5 and 7 in the ITB Berlin 2024, considered one of the largest in the world.
The probability of success in negotiations with these businessmen is considerable, since not only will they bring their valuable databases to the country, but also their highly relevant contacts in the business field. Agents in these European countries show constant interest and gratitude when a product is presented, as they want to tangibly associate the offer with Costa Rica through established business connections.
Europeans are great travelers
The director of Proimagen Costa Rica, Daniel Chavarría, assures that there are many reasons to travel to these three countries. “Europeans are great travelers, they prioritize leisure and generally plan their trips. For example, the Swiss travel up to three months to a destination to enjoy their vacations and are high-spending travelers.
“Another notable aspect when planning this tour is that this German-speaking market has direct flights. Let us remember that Europeans do not like to stopover, they do not like to go through the United States to travel to another destination. Tourists from these countries value having their own direct airline to Costa Rica,” said Chavarría.
Excellent air connectivity
From these markets, Costa Rica has excellent air connectivity largely thanks to Lufthansa. The German airline offers direct flights from Frankfurt, and its subsidiary, Edelweiss Air, operates direct flights from Switzerland to Costa Rica. This efficient connectivity contributes significantly to the flow of tourists between these destinations and our country.
For Proimagen Costa Rica it is relevant to recognize that the ICT has done an excellent job in promoting the country and the arrival of new airlines and new air connections. In these markets there are permanent communication campaigns.
Another strength of the German-speaking market is that it has a highly developed environmental awareness and agrees with the Ticos’ mentality of conserving and protecting nature. In addition, they are attracted to Costa Rica because they also like to seek the sun, heat and the beach, since its countries are very cold.
In educational talks, given by Proimagen Costa Rica, European tourism agents will get to know Costa Rica, while eating pot of meat, black soup, empanadas and rice with chicken.
During the visit to Hamburg, the ambassador of Costa Rica in Germany, Antonio Lehmann, and Alexander Román, Trade Commissioner of the Embassy, were present.
Long distance travelers
Germany occupies second place in arrivals to Costa Rica, from Europe. In 2023, 91,511 people from that country arrived. From Switzerland, 29,429 entered and from Austria, 9,327 people enjoyed Costa Rica in that same year.In the first month of 2024, 9,989 people arrived from Germany; from Switzerland 3,590 arrivals and from Austria 1,216 tourists entered.
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