Costa Rica to woo soccer fans with tourism ads
Costa Rica is making a play for more international tourists with a series of TV commercials aimed at soccer fans in the US and Europe.
The TV ads were produced jointly by the Foreign Trade Department and the investment promotion agency Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (CINDE), and will be shown during televised World Cup matches in international markets.
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) said the 30-second ads will be shown on ESPN in the US, Telecinco in Spain, ITV in the UK and Germany’s ZDF.
Tourism officials are hopeful of reaching over 10 million viewers with the ads.
The country brand ‘Essential Costa Rica’ will be the focus of the TV commercials showcasing its natural beauty, warm and talented people, and innovative and competitive business nature, according to the ICT.
"The goal is to strengthen our overall image as a destination in view of our big business generators," said Tourism Minister Wilhelm von Breymann.
"We will be showing this essence that distinguishes us from other countries to an audience of millions through a prominent sporting event like the World Cup," said von Breymann.
The US, Germany, UK and Spain are primary markets for Costa Rica tourism and generated 142,000 visitors from these countries last year.
In total 2.34 million foreign tourists visited Costa Rica in 2013, contributing $2.3 billion to the economy.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports