The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) plans to open eight regional offices between December 2006 and March 2007.
The regional branches will allow tourists, as well as representatives of tourism-industry businesses, to access the institute’s services without the hassle of traveling to San José, the daily Al DÃa reported.
Two offices will be located in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, north and south; three in the Pacific province of Puntarenas, from its northern tip down to the Osa Peninsula; two more in the country’s northern and southern Caribbean; and one in the Northern Zone.
However, the institute has not yet defined the exact location of each office, Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides told Al DÃa.
The regional offices will conduct market research, gather feedback from visitors and community members, and offer tourist information.
According to Benavides, approximately 40 people will be hired to work at the new offices.
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