Costa Rica launches tourism initiative

Houston, Allen
PR Week

November 19, 2001

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL: A shaky public that wants to spend its vacation closer to home is the target of the Costa Rica tourist board (ICT), which has hired Porter Novelli's Florida office as its agency of record to educate US travelers about the proximity of Costa Rica to the US.

PN will handle all media relations for the ICT, and will provide strategic counseling. The aim is to influence key travel industry players, and to target travel, trade, and consumer magazines, as well as websites. In addition, PN will provide counsel on all areas ranging from interactive campaigns to industry relations efforts.

PN's Centro america division, located in Costa Rica, will help develop the communications effort. The campaign will reflect the biodiversity, culture, and tranquil setting of Costa Rica.

One point that PN will stress is that it takes less time to fly to Costa Rica from Atlanta than it does to fly to California. Another focus will be to build the ICT's relationships with airline and travel industry partners that are based in major travel hubs, like Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta.

"In light of everything that has happened, we foresee that US travelers are going to want to stay closer to home," said Isabella Guerin, account supervisor for PN's Florida office, based in Fort Lauderdale.

She also thinks that the travel industry will have to change tactics in how it has traditionally lured US travelers overseas.

"More travelers will spend their vacations in Central and Latin America," she continued. "This is going to give us an advantage, but all across the board, I think that the travel industry has to rethink its communications strategy to highlight the comfort level of services that are available in these countries."

Last year, the small Central American country of Costa Rica attracted more than one million US visitors.

Copyright 2001 Haymarket Media, Inc.

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