- Costa Rica is targeting wellness, sports and business events
- The country welcomed 2.31m international tourists from January to September 2026
- Arrivals increased 4.8pc on the previous year
- Marketing spend for 2026 has risen to $48.3m
- Officials emphasise they are not abandoning traditional ecotourism
Costa Rica has expanded its tourism strategy beyond traditional ecotourism and nature-based travel to target wellness, sports and business events. Led by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute under Minister Marcos Borges, the country is promoting well-being, sports and corporate events. The country welcomed 2.31m international tourists from January to September 2026, up 4.8pc on the previous year.
Travelers increasingly engage in local cultural exchanges including cocoa harvesting on family farms, artisan weaving workshops and guided visits to Indigenous communities like the Bribri and Boruca. Startup incubators like Raíces, backed by the UNDP and government, help fund indigenous-led eco-cultural micro-enterprises. The country allocated $48.3m for tourism marketing in 2026, up over $3m from the previous year.
Officials emphasise they are not abandoning traditional ecotourism, which still accounts for protected rainforests, volcanoes and marine reserves covering nearly a third of the nation’s territory. The expanded strategy aims to attract high-value visitors from North America and growing European markets.
Marcos Borges shared “The country is promoting well-being, sports and corporate events while maintaining its ecotourism strengths.”
