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| Melissa Buttrill, Latin America specialist; Nadya Phelan, team leader, Latin America; Paul Badics, business development manager; Helena Saxe, executive manager, Camino Travel; and travel agents at Goway's Costa Rica seminar |
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Goway and Camino Travel teamed up to host a seminar last night at Goway's Toronto office that outlined the distinct tours Costa Rica has to offer.
Paul Badics, business development manager, Goway, invited select travel agents from the Toronto area to familiarize them with Costa Rica, and Goway’s exclusive product offerings.
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| Goway team: Paul Badics, business development manager; Nadya Phelan, team leader, Latin America; and Melissa Buttrill, Latin America specialist |
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“Costa Rica is our prime Central America destination,” Badics told TRAVELHotNews. “A lot of operators offer it as part of their sun products but we offer something a little different. We have more specialized tours and we’re hoping that agents will focus on the country and the unique products that Goway has.”
Badics said that aside from promoting Goway, the company is also focusing on increasing tourism to Costa Rica.
“We’re only one small part of the whole picture,” he said. “We’re hoping to increase business for Costa Rica...It is a special destination and we hope to raise awareness.”
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| Paul Badics, business development manager, Goway Travel |
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Goway also invited Helena Saxe, executive manager, Camino Travel, to be a guest speaker.
Saxe outlined the benefits of Costa Rica’s location and climate – what she considers to be one of the most important aspects for travellers.
“Costa Rica is actually in the curve of South America and [it is] protected from hurricanes,” she said. “This is very important to know because it allows us to sell [the] destination all year round.”
Saxe also said that the country has more than 12 microclimates, which makes it difficult to accurately predict what the overall climate is going to be like.
“Our rainy season is from May to November and the dry season is from December to May. But, that’s a generalization and that’s why you need a customized [tour] program," she said. "[That way], when you figure out your client’s dates of travel, you can figure out the best location for them.”
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| Helena Saxe, executive manager, Camino Travel |
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As far as specific destinations within Costa Rica, Saxe focused on six regions: the Caribbean, which offers a selection of beaches, turtle nesting areas and lagoons; the Northern region which features humid forests, canopy rides, the Arenal volcano, and hot springs; the Northern Pacific which is known as the area of beaches and waterfalls; the Mid Pacific which has the country’s highest mountain range, and offers a variety of outdoor activities; the South Pacific which is an area of wilderness and endangered species; and the Central Valley, which includes San José and is the most developed region in the country.
Many of the areas offer a wide variety of B&B's, eco-lodges, as well as chain hotels.
“Tourism is the second largest industry in Costa Rica,” Saxe said. “It benefits a lot of different people; the local businesses, the travel guides - it’s a chain. We are also ecological, even when it comes to tourism, and we want to bring awareness to that as well.”
Saxe also said that Costa Rica is regarded as one of the world’s most environmentally friendly countries. It strives to ensure that industries such as tourism leave minimal impact on the environment and culture.
Camino Travel is certified in sustainable tourism by the Costa Rican Tourist Board.
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