For the first time, Costa Rica has been chosen to host the largest cruise ship conference in the region, namely the Central America Cruise Summit, which will be held in the National Congress and Convention Center in 2019.

The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the world’s largest cruise ship organization, has taken advantage of this occurrence to promote Costa Rica as the host of this worldwide event during the Seatrade fair, which was held between March 6-8 in Fort Lauderdale, United States.

“For ICT, reinforcing cruise ship tourism has been a priority, which is why we’ve been working intensely to strengthen the country in this important industry. We’ve been present at the last three Seatrade conferences, which is the world’s premier cruise ship event. At these events, our role has been to take the initiative; we have been able to form a close relationship with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the largest cruise ship organization in the world, and we have met with representatives of the strongest and most influential cruise lines in the world. This change in our working vision has, without a doubt, played a role in our country being selected to host this major worldwide meeting, which is being widely promoted during this year’s Seatrade”, explained Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism.

The Central America Cruise Summit is held every two years, and this is the first time it will be held in Costa Rica. This event will bring together more than 200 people, including representatives of tour operators, shipping lines, tourism ministries, service providers, and executives from the 19 cruise ship lines that are members of the FCCA, which operate more than 100 ships in Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America. Additionally, the activity promotes training seminars for the tourism industry.

According to Ventura, the objective is to stimulate the industry and position the country on the world stage as an ideal destination for cruise ship tourism. SOURCE: Costa Rica Tourism Board