Costa Rica promoted itself as a tourism destination at an official Formula 1 race for the first time in its history this past weekend, taking over a branded experience zone at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Sunday in a bid to deepen its hold on its fastest-growing major source market.
The promotion, organized by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), placed Costa Rica directly in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri competed on track. Tourism officials framed the move as a calculated investment in a country that has emerged as the second-largest source of visitors to Costa Rica after the United States.
“The Formula 1 date in Montreal is one of the most global events on the calendar, and according to organizers, thousands of people are expected to circulate this weekend,” Óscar Saborío, marketing director at the ICT, said in remarks reported by La República. “This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity to reinforce Costa Rica’s positioning in the Canadian market.”
ICT staged what it called an “oasis of experiences” inside the race venue: a modern-design stand featuring immersive video of Costa Rican landscapes, virtual tours accessed via QR codes on attendees’ phones, direct interaction with staff, and lounge-style seating areas. The space was built around the country’s core marketing pillars of nature and biodiversity, and was designed to give race-goers a tactile, multimedia sample of the destination between sessions on track.
The decision to anchor the campaign at the Canadian Grand Prix reflects both the scale of the event’s international audience and the strategic weight Canada now carries in Costa Rica’s tourism mix.
Canadian arrivals to Costa Rica have surged in 2026. ICT data show 173,439 Canadians arrived by air between January and April, and first-quarter figures alone marked a 26.7 percent jump over the same period in 2025. At Guanacaste’s Liberia Airport, Canadians now account for roughly 26 percent of all tourist arrivals.
All major Canadian airlines currently operate direct routes to Costa Rica through our country’s two main international airports, with nonstop connectivity to seven Canadian cities, including Montreal. Air Transat recently added a new Quebec–San José route, further widening the pipeline.
Canadian visitors are also among Costa Rica’s most valuable travelers. According to ICT studies cited by industry trade press, the average Canadian visitor stays 15.4 nights and spends approximately $227.50 per day, with interests spanning beach tourism, nature immersion and adventure travel.
Costa Rica welcomed 1,195,271 international air arrivals in total during the first four months of 2026, a 10.5 percent increase year over year and the strongest January-through-April performance the country has recorded.
The Montreal promotion represents a departure from Costa Rica’s traditional channels, which have historically leaned on travel trade shows, tourism fairs and airline partnerships. By placing the destination in front of a global sporting audience rather than industry buyers, the ICT is betting on broad consumer brand exposure in a market where awareness — not access — is now the main constraint on growth.
Whether the F1 debut becomes a recurring fixture on the ICT’s calendar will likely depend on conversion metrics the institute tracks in the coming months, including direct search interest, booking inquiries and inbound traffic from Canadian source cities.
