The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) will promote the country as an important destination for European tourism of congresses and incentives during the international event of EIBTM, considered the world's leading event for the industry. The idea is to attract people and firms from different countries to organize this kind of activities in Costa Rica.

14 Costa Rican companies and the ICT will be present the next four days at the event that will join more than 14,000 professionals from worldwide travel industry in Barcelona, Spain, to share valuable Costa Rica information related to the strategic objectives and to know more about the European market.

For tourism authorities, the main objective is to strength strategies to position the country as an attractive destination for conferences and conventions. Tourism is the most important activity for the local economy. The country has good conditions to develop new markets. Tourism sector offers important facilities as comfortable hotels and resorts, and several options for cheap travel packages to Costa Rica, among others.

The Costa Rica's participation in this international exhibition is a consequence of the marketing strategies developed by the country to diversification, and searching of dynamic destinations such as the European.

Allan Flores, the Costa Rican Minister of Tourism said to local media that "the congress and convention tourism is highly profitable for our country”. That is the main reason to make the necessary efforts to position Costa Rica as a preferred tourist destination for this specific sector of the European market.

The Minister Flores hopes that the construction of the National Convention Centre and Exhibition, in San José, helps to give better attractions in Costa Rica to reach the goals of the project.

The benefits of the tourism industry are really important for Costa Rica. The last year over 49,000 people visited the country to attend congresses and conventions. 60% of them have visited the country at least twice, according to official information. The personal income average per year of these visitors goes from $94,000 to $131,000.

Costa Rica tourism generated last year 2,000 million dollars and received 2.1 million visitors.