Business

A Growing Industry

Within the industry of tourism, the segment of meetings and events continues having an aggressive and constant growth, mainly in developing countries as is the case of Latin America. It seems that finally authorities of the public and private sectors have turned their attention and directed their efforts to this branch of tourism.

Some countries, ones more assertively than others, are betting 100% on tourism of reunions and in a short term have seen the results. As usual, I’m using this column to scold our politicians and representatives of the tourism sector. Costa Rica has not assumed the pioneer role that used to characterize it, but keeps going in circles, just making plans.

Neighbor countries are fully in the contest, trying to host important international events. Guatemala recently had a significant reunion of the Inter American Development Bank and another one of the International Olympics Committee. Honduras just won hosting a world event on Engineering after competing with world powers in organization of events as Brazil and United States. El Salvador already has an enviable list of confirmed events to be held in their territory.

and.. Costa Rica?

Meetings that are still being hosted in our country end up there with no real effort; they are fruit of the excellent tourist and government image Costa Rica projects worldwide. Many times they are the product of the visionary effort of local impresarios and organizations that leave our boundaries and fight so that the events they usually take part in can eventually be held in their country.

They come because of the constant labor of professional organizers of local congresses and the invaluable contribution of the Association of Professional Organizers of Congresses & Related Events of Costa Rica and of the Central America Convention Bureau. The promotional investment of the private sector brings them, in need of generating an occupation for their products...But what about the public sector’s support? not yet there…