Interview with Manuel Bustamante, Director, Costa Rican Institute of Tourism

Although Costa Rica is a new market, it sees great prospects in the market of Russia and other Eastern European countries. Therefore, representatives of the country's tourism industry took an active part in MITT in Moscow.

- Is this your first time participating in MITT?
- Not only in MITT, but , in general, this is my first trip to Russia. And the show made a very good impression on me : great organi s ation and a lot of proposals for nature tourism, where Costa Rica has exhibited a high quality product at a competitive level.

- How does the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism view investment , with the aim of bringing in tourists in the future?
- With investment , you should always take into account the potential for return. The Russian market is gaining strength with each passing day. Segments of the population with high levels of income look for far-off destinations , and we are developing packages and proposals in parallel with this trend . We still have unresolved questions, such as simplifying the visa policy and organising flights, but we are working on this.

- What is the policy on visa-free travel between Costa Rica and Russia?
- As far as I know, there is an intention to address the problem of visas. It makes no sense to invite tourists and, at the same time, prohibit or restrict travel. We need to find appropriate mechanisms through which tourist trips can be facilitated.

- Will Costa Rica invest in Russian tour operators to establish charter flights to your country?
- I think so. This is a very effective method. Such strategic alliances are not only possible with Russia. In this way, initial tourism flows can be achieved. After definite channels have been found, we can work on regular flights.

- Do you think Iberia holds an important position with its "hub" in Madrid in relation to flights from Russia?
- Yes, I think that now it is the main way to get from Russia to Costa Rica. At the moment, we have a limited number of places, but with increasing demand we will talk about increasing the number of seats.

- With tourists who like to combine various destinations, such as Russian tourists, is Costa Rica prepared to work together on this with other countries in Central America?
- Firstly, in terms of the size of its territory and variety of programmes, Costa Rica can offer various tourist destinations to combine into one trip. In our country there are different areas. If this proves insufficient, then there are other countries in Central America which can supplement the purpose of travel. As for travel within the region, there are no problems here. Tour operators offer various tours and products, which can be found on the map of Central America.

- Do you have approximate figures for what Costa Rica intends to invest in the development of the Russian market in the future?
- No, it is too early to speak about exact figures. You need to consider all the constraints. The Russian market is a new market, which has a certain priority, but it still needs to be developed in accordance with the available opportunities and deliverable results. But we will do everything possible to bring this market to an appropriate level.

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