News and Updates

Costa Rica was awarded the first ever Earthshot Prize award yesterday, granted by The Royal Foundation to encourage change and to help protect the planet. The country won the highest prize for the ‘Protect and Restore Nature’ category. Costa Rica … Read More

Entry to Costa Rica is enabled for tourists from all countries by air, land and sea. Tourists must meet the visa requirements, when required, as well as the requirements established in the framework of the pandemic. The Government of the … Read More

Costa Rica commemorates 200 years of independence on 14th and 15th September This year Costa Rica has been commemorating 200 years of Independent life with a solemn  events programme based on four main pillars: historical Costa Rica; peaceful and supportive … Read More

(15 March 2021) With travel restrictions planned to start easing over the summer, there are many reasons to plan a visit to Costa Rica this year. 2021 will see the commemoration of Costa Rica’s Bicentenary (200 years of gaining independence); … Read More

 Over 100 medical premises offer PCR and antigen tests all over the country (8 February 2021) The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) has published a list of clinics and medical premises where international visitors can book a Covid-19 test before … Read More

January 2021 Number of people vaccinated as off 25January, 2021 are 48 128The Government of Costa Rica acquired 3 million doses of vaccines, for an application to one and a half million people (total population 52 million). The National Commission … Read More

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is proud to launch the Pura Vida Pledge – a promise to educate visitors as to the real meaning of responsible tourism and the actions that they, as travellers to the destination, can do … Read More

Costa Rica Tourism Board launches “Pura Vida Pledge” The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) has just launched the “Pura Vida Pledge”, a promise to educate visitors as to the real meaning of responsible tourism and the actions that they, as … Read More

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) has just launched Costa Rica Sanctuary – the new European recovery campaign to position the country as a ‘safe’destination and to inspire visitors to travel post Covid-19. The aim of the campaign – which … Read More

After 35 years of successful Expotur marketplaces the annual event will this year go virtual, providing an opportunity for senior level staff from B2B wholesale companies and tour operators to meet 300 local Costa Rican partners. This year, the 20-minute … Read More

Costa Rica re-opened its borders to UK travellers on 1 August 2020, following their nearly four-month closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To allow visitors to enter Costa Rica, visitors will need to complete a digital epidemiological form and have … Read More

Costa Rica has recently welcomed its 30th national park: San Lucas Island, located off the Pacific coast of the Gulf of Nicoya. The purpose of the new park is to develop sustainable tourism as well as contributing to the socio-economic … Read More

Costa Rica has been recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for the continuous efforts in developing and strengthening its sustainable tourism. The ‘GSTC-Recognised Standard’ status is related to the country’s Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) and further strengthens … Read More

The President of Costa Rica, Mr. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, has appointed Gustavo Segura Sancho as the country’s new Tourism Minister and Executive President of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), replacing María Amalia Revelo Raventós as head of the department. … Read More

A gradual revival of the tourism industry and safeguarding sanitary measures, is the objective of opening up to international commercial flights from the European Union, UK and Canada as of August 1.  To allow tourists to enter national soil, a negative … Read More

The Global Council for Sustainable Tourism granted worldwide recognition to the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute Monday, June 29, 2020. The Global Council for Sustainable Tourism granted Costa Rica a worldwide recognition for its … Read More

If you are looking for home schooling material or something to do as a family, download our jigsaw. Simply cut out the shapes and remake the sloth image as shown above. Download here

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) and representatives of the local private sector have unveiled a list of 16 health protocols for the safe reopening of some of the country’s most popular tourism areas that were affected by the Covid-19 … Read More

This month the Costa Rica Tourism board participated in TTG’s digital destination Festival. Costa Rica Tourism Boards PR executive for Europe, Angelica Herra and FIT sales coordinator at Travel Excellence, Cynthia Sanchez hosted a masterclass on Facebook with Abra Dunsby . To date the … Read More

UPDATED 21st April: Closures of properties due to COVID-19 by Travel Excellence.  NORTHERN PACIFIC: CARIBBEAN: Le Cameleon Closed until April 30 TORTUGUERO: Pachira Lodge, Evergreen Lodge & Aninga Lodge Closed until further notice Manatus Closed until April 30 Tortuga Lodge Closed until December 01 MONTEVERDE: … Read More

Learn and Play with Costa Rica If you are looking for home schooling material or something to do as a family over the Easter break, download our free activity book. Costa Rica Tourism board has designed a learn and play … Read More

Please see below latest update (7th April 2020) regarding flight operating to San Jose International, for full list please visit San Jose Airport website here Operation suspended until further notice Rescue flight on March 23, 25 and 26, April 1 … Read More

Given the importance of preventing and avoiding the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease that was declared an international pandemic, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) informs its tourism partners that the Government of the Republic of … Read More

The latest figures from the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) show that 78,562 visitors from the UK travelled to Costa Rica in 2019 – representing an increase of 5.7% on the previous year. The United Kingdom retains its position as … Read More

Country given the award for pioneering role in fighting climate change In September, Costa Rica received the 2019 Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour, for its role in the protection of nature and its commitment to … Read More

Come and see why Costa Rica is your destination in 2020 Hosted on the LATA Pavilion, Costa Rica are returning to the Destinations show in London Olympia for the 4th consecutive year, from January 30th to February 2nd. Members of … Read More

Costa Rica Top Countries to visit in 2020 Costa Rica has been chosen as one of the world’s Top Ten Countries for travel in 2020 in the latest edition of Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel guide. Lonely Planet highlights … Read More

Costa Rica wins best wildlife destination It is official Costa Rica has won Selling Travels Agent Travel Award for best wildlife destination. The awards are the only trade awards voted by travel agents. The recognition by fellow industry colleagues is … Read More

The rainforest is back at Excel for WTM this year. Come and visit the stand at LA200 to meet local suppliers and enjoy some free coffee 🙂 Taking place on Tuesday the 5th November 10:30 – 11:15 at Americas Inspiration … Read More

Selling Travel Nomination Event Costa Rica has been nominated for Selling Travel Agent Awards. The only trade awards voted by agents. Costa Rica has been nominated as best wildlife destination. All nominees have been invited to an agent event, a … Read More

Spot the real stars of Costa Rica. Here is the when and where you should be to get up and close with some of the most famous locals. Sloths Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the world … Read More

Costa Rica welcomes its 29th national park     Costa Rica has recently declared the Miravalles Volcano National Park-Jorge Manuel Dengo the country’s 29th national park. The new addition, located in the north-western region of Guanacaste, is one of Costa … Read More

UK Social Media Launch   Costa Rica Tourism Board launches UK Facebook and Instagram channels as a way to stay connected with the UK market. The tourism board will also be launching channels in Germany, Spain and France. Visit_costaricauk (Instagram) … Read More

The village of Tortuguero (land of turtles) in the north Caribbean is the Mecca for seeing green turtles nest. During the months of July to mid-October the endangered species arrive on Tortuguero beach in their hundreds to lay their eggs. … Read More

  Costa Rica launches unparalleled plan to suppress carbon emissions by 2050   Costa Rica has just launched an unprecedented plan by which the country aims to achieve zero emissions by 2050. With this new initiative, the Central American country strengthens … Read More

Here are five reasons why a trip to Costa Rica should be on your bucket list – although there are many more!     1. Biodiversity   When you think of Costa Rica, the first thing that automatically comes to … Read More

Costa Rica aims to be a modern, green, emission-free, resilient and inclusive economy Costa Rica has set out to lay the foundations of the new Costa Rican economy of the 21st century by creating a positive, innovative and inspiring vision … Read More

The Costa Rica Tourism Board premiers its first ever UK cinema trailer this month. The video will be played in selected theaters across London and will offer viewers 30 seconds of sensory delight, showcasing the best of Costa Rica in … Read More

Costa Rican Tourism Board will once again be at Destinations Consumer Show in London. You can find our UK team on the LATA Pavilion helping  with itinerary ideas, general information and any questions you may have for us. Come over … Read More

Want to know more about Costa Rican gastronomy or are you looking to learn how to make some of your favourite Costa Rican dishes. Watch our short cooking videos below for some inspiration and cooking tips. If you would like us … Read More

Rural tourism will be a key product for Costa Rica in 2019, offering travellers an intimate glimpse into the country’s pastoral heritage and communities. Costa Rica’s new minister of tourism, María Amalia Revelo Raventós, said: “Most of our hotels and … Read More

Costa Rica is aiming to grow its tourism by 6% per year globally, its tourism minister has revealed.   María Amalia Revelo Raventós told TTG@WTM she hoped to boost visitor numbers by “increasing operations in terms of flights” and widening … Read More

The park becomes the first National Park in Central America and the eighth in the world to have a risk management system in place     (1 October 2018) After being closed for 16 months, Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano National … Read More

Thank you to everyone who entered our coffee competition to celebrate National Coffee Day! Last month we gave away the chance for five agents to win a Costa Rica Coffee Experience. The coffee hampers contain two fresh bags of  Costa Rican … Read More

  The latest statistics released by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) reveal that a total of 40,907 visitors from the UK travelled to Costa Rica in the first half of 2018 – representing an increase of 2.5% compared to … Read More

Last year the Costa Rica tourist board and partners from Costa Rica travelled around the country on a sales mission – training agents in London, Manchester and Scotland. The highlight of each event was announcing the winners for our 2018 … Read More

With summer officially over, the UK trade have started to gear up for the biggest industry event in the travel and tourism calendar – yes we are talking about World Travel Market! The year has gone by so fast since … Read More

Watch the video below for an aerial look at what Costa Rica has to show you. From beaches to forests to waterfalls, Costa Rica has something for the traveller’s soul inside all of us. For more inspiring videos take our … Read More

Taking Over Manchester This month the UK office headed up north to Manchester for a Central and South America takeover day at Travel Counsellors head office. The takeover was a educational training day for TCs to learn all about the … Read More

The newly elected President of Costa Rica, Mr. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, has chosen María Amalia Revelo Raventós as the country’s new Tourism Minister, replacing Mauricio Ventura as head of the department. María Amalia Revelo holds a master’s degree in Business … Read More

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has awarded the Blue Flag status to a total of 107 beaches for 2018 – three more than last year. The list recognises the cleanest and most sustainable beaches in the country, which are … Read More

ELA 2018 Experience Latin America is over for this year and we can’t wait for 2019.  An insightful 3 days full of meetings with trade specialising in selling Latin America product, it was a great opportunity to meet some of … Read More

Costa Rica unveils its brand new Convention Centre   Sustainability is at the heart of the country’s first purpose-built business centre (16 April 2018) The Costa Rica Convention Centre (CRCC) has just opened its doors – a futuristic and sustainable … Read More

  San José, the lively capital city of Costa Rica, has recently been chosen as one of the world’s top 10 “destinations on the rise” by TripAdvisor’s 2018 Travellers’ Choice Awards. The city, sometimes overlooked by visitors who want to … Read More

  This month we took part in Destinations, London’s largest consumer show. The Costa Rica stand was part of the LATA pavilion this year. However, due the high demand for Costa Rica last year we had a bigger booth this … Read More

  Reconnect with nature at a wellness retreat  Costa Rica is the place to disconnect from the world. Visitors can swap technology and tweeting for an energising morning yoga session in a rainforest, a midday jungle trek and an afternoon surf … Read More

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has launched a new tourism strategy for 2018 – ‘Wellness Pura Vida’ – a new ethos that redefines what it means to look after the body and soul.  According to the World Health Organization, … Read More

Costa Rica has had another successful year at WTM. Our rainforest stand was by far the most ‘standout’ stand at Excel and was packed with product managers, journalists, influencers and consumers all enjoying Costa Rican coffee, candy floss and watching … Read More

  For the first time in its history, the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has established a partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and CNN International to launch a new campaign: “essential Costa Rica. My Choice, Naturally.” … Read More

New ‘Life of a Caballista’ experience at Hacienda AltaGracia, Costa Rica Luxury hotel AltaGracia, located in the mountains of Perez Zeledon in Costa Rica has launched a new hands-on adventure activity where guests will get the chance to be real … Read More

2017 has been named as the year of sustainable tourism for development by the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). In recognition of Costa Rica’s pioneering work in this field, the country’s President, Luis Guillermo Solís, has been appointed as … Read More