source: Journal Costa Rica favorite Latin American destination again: Travel Weekly

(InfoWebPress – www.journalcr.com) – For the fifth consecutive year, Travel Weekly magazine has named Costa Rica as “Top Latin American Tourism Destination” for the year 2008. The recurrent distinction exalts Costa Rica’s meticulous and arduous emphasis within the tourism sector. The methodology behind choosing the top destination is based on the survey among 180,000 Travel Weekly magazine subscribers — which is done online and through printed magazine forms and known as Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards. In addition, these subscribers are linked with the tourism industry in the United States and represent hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, suppliers and corporations. The survey has taken place in the past six years and includes 55 different categories. The areas that voters take into consideration are the quality of the tourism services, excellence in service and the country’s natural attractions. Costa Rica attracts millions of tourists each year due to its beaches, incredibly diverse National Parks System, hotel infrastructure and stable political environment. This year, Costa Rica beat other popular destinations such as Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Belize for the distinction. The honor goes out to the work of all sectors within the industry such as Costa Rica hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, service providers, transportation companies, rent-a-cars and more. Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, commented about the special distinction, mentioning that it is an acknowledgement of the country’s hard work and dedication within the tourism industry. “We are very proud about having been awarded in this category, and particularly because the winners are chosen by prominent members of the U.S. tourism industry, who recognize the quality of the Costa Rican product and commits us to continuing improving as a destination,” Benavides said. The award was announced shortly after Costa Rica welcomed its 2 millionth tourist for the year 2008 last December, an honor that was shared by the Biedron family. The Biedrons — a New Jersey couple and their five children — were chosen randomly as part of a process coordinated by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and tour operators involved in the Tourism Sustainability Certificate (CST) program Previous to this specific selection, a statistical analysis had been conducted to establish calculations for the arrival of the 2 millionth visitor, whereby the arrival of this tourist was to occur between Dec. 15-19. The calculations were validated by the University of Costa Rica’s (UCR) School of Statistics. For Minister Benavides, the Biedron family — beyond the symbolic number of tourists arriving in Costa Rica last year — reflects the type of visitor Costa Rica wishes to receive: families committed to the environment who seek authentic experiences. “The Biedrons, who represent tourist No. 2 million, are the type of travelers we want in Costa Rica, those who are committed to sustainable practices, but who also come to our country seeking a destination full of warmth, nature and where they can live cultural experiences that are real,” Benavides pointed out. The Biedrons of New Jersey are part of the 29 percent American citizens that choose Costa Rica to vacation with their families. Recent studies on habits of tourists conducted by ICT indicate that those tourists who come to Costa Rica on vacation with their families possess college degrees or higher with annual income over $150,000. They learned about Costa Rica as a destination from friends or relatives and enjoy sun and beach activities, nature walks, canopy rides, visits to volcanoes, among others.