Costa Rica Ready to Welcome Middle East Tourists

The Costa Rica government is working hard to boost up the number of incoming tourists from the UAE along with the greater GCC, as per Costa Rican Minister of Planning Pilar Garrido.

While speaking to Arabian Business on the sidelines of the launch of a new Costa Rican trade promotion office inside the premises of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Garrido said that “Costa Rica is looking for opportunities” in the GCC.

“This part of the world is key at this time,” she said. “The economies are very strong and there is lots of capital that their domestic markets cannot absorb. The message is that we always want to grow our tourism, especially our eco and sustainable tourism.

Emirates airline and New York-based JetBlue in September declared that they were intensifying a codeshare agreement that will have the Costa Rican capital of San Jose and Liberia, the capital of the Guanacaste province.

At present, between the UAE and Central America, there are no direct flights. In 2016 Emirates put on hold proposals for a non-stop flight between Dubai and Panama, which at 17 hours and 35 minutes westbound was billed as the longest flight of the world.

Garrido explained that she still hoped that one day a direct flight to Central America would be possible.

“It’s my understanding that there are technical issues related to the flight and that’s why there needs to be a stop-over,” Garrido said. “But science is moving so fast that nothing is impossible in this world. Maybe next time I’m here will be to inaugurate a flight.”