What will you think of in the Caribbean?

• Initiative reaffirms the commitment of the Government of the Republic to tourism development and economic revitalization in Limón.

The domestic tourism advertising campaign “Come to Limón. ¿Qué te nace hacer en el Caribe?” (What will you think of in the Caribbean?) launched on Friday with a call to travel and explore the cultural and gastronomical diversity of one of the country’s most exuberant regions, with a variety of destinations and tourist niches, charisma and the flavors of Limón and its people.

The campaign, an initiative of the Mesa Caribe, is a joint effort with the Federation of Chambers of the Caribbean, which approved the commercial’s design.

The Caribbean has all the abilities needed to develop tourism and generate the economic reactivation that is so important for its citizens. The wealth of flora and fauna, its multiculturalism and the combination of mountains, rivers and ocean is an incomparable strength for the region’s development”, said Marvin Rodríguez, Second Vice President of the Republic and coordinator of the Mesa Caribe.

This investment of ₡105 million is an extension of the “Vamos a turistear” internal tourism advertising campaign, which urges the country’s population to have unique experiences in their own country, highlighting the Caribbean in this case.

The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, reiterated that “this campaign is part of the Government’s commitment to tourism development in the province of Limón, an effort that is coordinated with the private sector through the Federation of Chambers of the Caribbean, which is how the ICT works”.

“Limón has an enormous potential for tourism development. We celebrate these important steps to raise awareness of its beauty. Efforts like this to raise the profile of the region go along with projects that are already underway, like the new cruise ship terminal and the marina that seek to dynamize the opportunities available in the province”, asserted Andrea Centeno, Executive President of the Port Administration and Economic Development Board of the Atlantic Coast (JAPDEVA).

The campaign will last for four months, from July to October, with an initial launch on television and social media through the Vamos a Turistear (www.vamosaturistear.com) for a month. Following this, the initiative will spread to digital media, buses, radio and theaters for three months.

Other projects underway: The board of directors of the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) approved a Cooperation Agreement with JAPDEVA on June 24 for $200,000 to finance port infrastructure improvements in the Hernán Garrón Salazar cruise ship terminal in Limón. The improvements include internal and external boarding rooms, areas for artisans, a viewpoint, patios and service areas for passengers and crew.

In addition, ICT, in collaboration with the Municipality of Talamanca, will invest ₡760 million (about $1.3 million at the current exchange rate) in a dock in Cahuita and a quay in Puerto Viejo designed to safely transport people visiting the region’s main attractions. The quay is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2019 and the dock for the fourth quarter of 2020.

In Pavona de Pococí, the organizations will invest ₡300 million (about $500,000 at current exchange rates) in dock improvements at the tourist entry point in Tortuguero, a project coordinated with the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, which will be included in the institution’s 2020 budget.

These works and the advertising campaign add up to an investment of around $2.2 million in the province of Limón.