Costa Rica added another international tourism accolade this week after being named Best Nature Destination at the inaugural Forbes Travel Awards 2026, a distinction that reinforces the country’s long-running pitch as one of the top places in the world for nature-based travel. The award was presented in Madrid during the first edition of the Forbes Travel Awards.
The recognition came from Forbes Travel’s editorial committee, which says the awards are decided internally and are not based on sponsorships or application processes. That gives the prize extra weight for Costa Rica, which has spent years building its international image around protected areas, biodiversity, and lower-impact tourism.
Costa Rica won in the Best Nature Destination category, standing alongside other winners that included Chile as Best International Destination, Austria as Best Cultural Destination, and Madrid as Best Business Destination. The ceremony brought together tourism officials, airline representatives, hotel executives, and other industry figures in the Spanish capital.
The award reflects the qualities that have made Costa Rica one of the region’s strongest tourism brands: a wide national park system, protected forests, volcanoes, coastlines on two oceans, and a tourism model that leans heavily on conservation. The award highlighted that more than a quarter of Costa Rica’s territory is under federal protection and that our country holds roughly 6.5% of the planet’s biodiversity, despite its small size.
For the ICT, the timing is great news. Costa Rica has continued to push its image in Europe as a destination tied to sustainability, biodiversity, and outdoor experiences rather than mass tourism. The new Forbes distinction gives our country another high-profile international endorsement as it competes for travelers looking for rainforest, wildlife, beaches, volcanoes, and national park travel in a single destination.
The honor also adds to a strong stretch of international travel recognition for Costa Rica. In recent months, our country and destinations within it have continued to appear in major global travel rankings, reflecting steady foreign interest in Costa Rica’s nature-focused tourism product.
