Expo Osa Promotes Southern Zone Tourism

DESERTED beaches, virgin forests,“intense” biodiversity – the many attractivequalities of Costa Rica’s final frontier,the remote Osa Peninsula on thesouthern Pacific coast, were promotedJuly 14 at the Expo Osa conference heldat the Radisson Hotel in San José.Approximately 40 businesses andorganizations had booths at the event, saidLuis Centeno, president of the OsaChamber of Tourism, which organized theevent.“This is an activity with the intentionof giving the micro-businesses from thearea a chance to promote themselves,”Centeno said.However, micro-businesses were notthe only ones in attendance. Large hotels,major car rental companies and private airlinesmade their presence known at boothspromoting their businesses with digitaltours, colorful pamphlets and free pens.Jhonny Cambronero, the manager andadministrator of the hotel Casi Es Cielo(It’s Almost Heaven) said this was hissecond year attending the event, whichhas been taking place annually for nineyears.“It helps a lot with sales, and to meetpeople like travel agents from tour agencies,or travel Web sites,” he said. “Tenyears ago, there was not the flow oftourism as there is now. By way of theseevents, people can get to know moreabout the area.”