Trade Ministry Launches World Cup Web Site

Costa Rica’s plans for self-promotion during the 2006 World Cup, to be held in Germany in June, took a step forward this week as the Foreign Trade Ministry and the Trade Promotion Authority (PROCOMER) launched the site costaricamundial.com.

The Web site offers information about the country’s culture, biodiversity and tourism sector, as well as investment opportunities, and is available in Spanish, English, German and French. It’s divided into five major sections: an introduction, Costa Rica in the World, Foreign Trade, News and Sports.

PROCOMER General Manager Martín Zúñiga said in a statement that the organization seeks to “position the country on the world map,” and that the new site is part of this goal.

The Web site also forms part of government and private-sector efforts to promote Costa Rica during the tournament, in which the National Team will make its second consecutive appearance. By random draw in December, La Selección was chosen to face off against Germany, the host country, in the inaugural game June 9 – providing Costa Rica with a chance to reach at least one billion viewers worldwide.

President Abel Pacheco signed a decree last month that declared that La Sele’s participation in the World Cup is “of national interest” and created an inter-institutional committee to oversee the promotion campaign.

Participants include the ministries of Foreign Relations, Foreign Trade, Culture and Tourism, as well as PROCOMER and the National Soccer Federation (FEDEFUTBOL). Advertising and participation in trade fairs in Germany are among the planned elements of the program, which kicked off with a $50,000 budget (TT, Feb. 17).