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Expotur attracts purchasers from Costa Rica’s priority and emerging markets

 

  • Trends in air connections and tourist arrivals are determining factors in the selection of purchasers
  • Expotur is coming off a series of record-breaking years in terms of overall attendance, presenve of vendors, length of stay by target groups, expense and income generated for the country

 With over 230 international purchasers, Expotur 2019 will kick off on May 9 in the Costa Rica Convention Center. These delegates represent companies from 35 different countries, where they will be promoting Costa Rica as a destination.

The increasing flow of tourists to Costa Rica as well as the convenient visa process and existing air connections are determining factors for the committee that selects the countries that will be participating. The Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT), as an organizer, will lead a group representing important tourism sector actors (ICT, Proimagen, Futuropa, CCH, CANATUR, Imagazinetour, the Convention Bureau and ACOPRON), which are the organizations that will perform the analysis to determine which prospects will potentially generate greater and better business for vendors at Expotur.

The United States, Canada and certain European countries are considered to be priority markets, since they provide the largest number of visitors to the country. Poland stands out among the emerging markets present in this year’s event, in addition to the South American countries of Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

“The Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals has been able to bring together the public and private sectors to organize this marketing fair, which is a fundamental element in promoting Costa Rica as a diverse and sustainable tourist destination”, explained Erasmo Rojas, ACOPROT President.

“Over the course of two days, major negotiations are held that allow the destination to revitalize itself each year, generating millions of dollars in tourism revenue that reach numerous services from accommodation to tours, food service, transportation and national park admissions, just to name some examples. Every trip and the consumption that goes along with it generates important tax revenue for the country, which increases the services we provide internationally”, Rojas added.

“Very few tourist destinations have been able to develop a fair that has been held without interruption for 35 years”, said Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism. “This demonstrates that public-private partnerships and our shared vision for sustainable tourism development have created the conditions required for Expotur to consolidate over time”, Rojas noted.

Improved indicators

 

Over the last five years, Expotur has increased its attendance from 145 purchasing companies in 2014 to 200 in 2018 and an expected record-breaking figure of 230 in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of tourism service vendors has increased from 260 to 348 over the same period.

With respect to the performance indicators used to evaluate the results of each Expotur, the mobilization of the event’s target audience has increased, with over 600 delegates attending since 2016, representing over 150 international wholesalers.

In terms of the target audience’s stay in the country, purchasers whose participation is funded have an average stay of three nights in Costa Rica, while regular participants stay for five nights, on average. In the case of vendors coming from various parts of the country and booking accommodations in San José, their average stay is 3.5 nights.

Another important aspect is the daily spending by attendees during the trade fair, which amounts to $108.95 for foreign purchasers and $29.77 for local vendors. This information comes from the 2018 Expotur Economic Impact Study.

No less important is the revenue generated for the country or individual regions or companies. The 2017 Economic Impact Study, which presents the metrics examined by ACOPROT to assess the trade fair’s impact, included certain key figures:

  • The investment by vendors amounted to $812,128.00. This amount comprises local and international exhibitors at the event, and represents companies’ investment in transportation, decoration and promotional materials, as well as accommodation, salaries and other associated costs.
  • The expense generated by international purchasers was valued at $117,276.61 and comprises accommodation, transportation, meals and other expenses associated with their stay before, during and after the event.
  • The estimated amount of tax revenue generated is $141,572.00, which includes sales tax, departure taxes and deductions, as well as airline tickets purchased for the event.
  • In addition, the study concluded that the organization, implementation and execution of Expotur represents direct spending of around $2.7 million, plus the knock-on effects for companies that produce tourism revenue over the course of each year, as well as other benefits linked to the events, such as earned media coverage in-country and internationally.

If your company would like to be part of Expotur, you can find all the information you need at www.expotur.com.