Industry Aims High At Tourism Congress

In 2012, 2.3 million tourists might visit Costa Rica.

That’s the goal of the National Tourism Chamber’s (CANATUR) tourism plan, which was unveiled this week at the National Tourism Congress in San José.

CANATUR president Gonzalo Vargas said the chamber, which represents more than 400 businesses, hopes to increase in the annual influx of tourists in Costa Rica by 700,000 in the next six years.

“Our biggest challenge will be the nation’s road infrastructure,” he said, referring to the country’s notoriously deteriorated roadways.

CANATUR sponsored the two-day congress, which brought together approximately 250 representatives from private businesses, government ministries and regional chambers for the 13th National Tourism Congress at the Hotel Real Intercontinental in Escazú, west of San José.

Gonzalo explained that the event focused on three goals, the most important of which is updating the 2002-2012 National Tourism Plan with more clear objectives and concrete plans for achieving the standards it sets.

Other goals are pushing forward a proposed General Tourism Law – which seeks to establish a clear, unified tourism policy – and analyzing the marketing and promotion of Costa Rica’s tourism industry, which generates $1.6 million annually and some 500,000 direct and indirect jobs for the country.