Costa Rican Tourism Board
| Instituto Costarricense de Turismo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 9, 1955 |
Preceding agency |
|
| Headquarters | |
Minister responsible |
|
| Website | www |
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (Spanish: Instituto Costarricense de Turismo) is a government agency responsible for promoting sustainable tourism in Costa Rica.[2]
History
Given the country's rich natural surroundings, Costa Rica has prioritized its tourism industry since the early 1900s. In 1931, the Costa Rican government, in its bid to regulate the development of the industry, created the National Tourism Board (Spanish: Junta Nacional de Turismo).[3] Around two decades later, the government decided the agency needed an upgrade, along with better financing and decentralization.[3] By decree of August 9, 1955, the resulting agency was renamed the Costa Rican Tourism Board.[2]
On December 2, 1960, the Legislative Assembly passed a law declaring tourism to be a public interest, levying a new 3% tax on hotel and pension stays, with the funds earmarked for the Costa Rican Tourism Board.[4]
In the mid 1980s, Costa Rica reoriented its economy toward a neoliberal model, with a focus on exports and service industries, especially tourism.[3] In 1985, the Tourism Board began a policy of fiscal incentives for tourism development. These incentives include tax exemptions for companies providing hotel services, air transport, car rental, restaurant services, travel agencies, and other tourism related services.[5][6]
In 1997, the agency introduced the voluntary Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program in order to turn "the concept of sustainability into something real" by "improving the way in which natural and social resources are utilized, to encourage the active participation of local communities, and to support competition in the business sector.[7] The program was originally envisioned for a broad cross-section of the tourism industry, but it began with hospitality businesses only.[8]
Function
According to the agency's organic law, it's functions include building and administering hospitality establishments when the private sector fails to do so in a satisfactory manner; advertising abroad in order to attact visitors; promoting commercial, athletic, artistic and cultural events, with an emphasis on folkloric activities; protecting and promoting historical, scientific, and natural sites, with an emphasis on preserving native flora and fauna; and maintaining national parks.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "Costa Rica appoints new Tourism Minister". Breaking Travel News. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- 1 2 "History and Legal Framework". Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- 1 2 3 Obando, Edgar Blanco (2017). "Whose Place is It? Tourism Development in Guanacaste: Social and Environmental Impacts, 1990-2016" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica". pgrweb.go.cr. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
- ↑ Dirección de Gestión y Asesoría Jurídica, ICT (June 2010). "Estudio Plazo de Consolidación de las Empresas Turísticas" (PDF) (in Spanish). ICT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ↑ José Enrique Rojas (2005-02-03). "Contraloría ampara exoneraciones a empresas turísticas". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- ↑ Crist Inman (1997). "Impacts on Developing Countries of Changing Production and Consumption Patterns in Developed Countries: The Case of Ecotourism in Costa Rica". INCAE, available atInternational Institute for Sustainable Development website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ↑ Mercedes Agüero (2007-11-07). "ICT espera 2 millones de turistas a finales del 2008". La Nación (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ↑ "Organic Law of the Costa Rican Tourism Board, N° 1917" (in Spanish). July 30, 1955.
