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The participation of at least 25 countries in June of this Year is estimated.
This opportunity is taken by the joint work between the Costa Rican Institute of ICT Tourism and the Institute of Technical Standards of Costa Rica (INTECO). INTECO serves as a representative of Costa Rica to the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and is a full member of the International Committee of Tourism and related services ISO TC 228.
According to Alberto López, president of the National Mirror Committee and General Manager of the ICT, which participates on behalf of the country in said meeting, this designation is of vital importance, since being the venue of a meeting of this global level is a privilege for the sector, for the topics that are treated related to the development of tourism and its future projections, and the standards that are developed that ensure the improvement of the quality of the provision of tourism services.
“This meeting addresses topics as diverse as the latest trends in sustainable tourism, adventure and well-being, where Costa Rica has positioned its leadership in the world in recent years,” said López. In addition, he indicated that other elements of tourist services such as lodging, tour operation, protected areas, tourist guides, transportation, diving, among others are analyzed.
According to the ISO organization, this event will be held in June 2020 in Costa Rica with an estimated participation of at least 25 countries that will discuss the improvement of tourism norms and services for the new challenges of tourism on the planet.
Alexandra Rodríguez, Director of Standardization of INTECO, informs that the international work developed in the ISO is reviewed in Costa Rica through the National Tourism Committee INTE CTN 34, which is made up of nine working groups in which the representatives of the sector They are actively participating and are currently developing a work plan for the adoption of 39 ISO standards applied to tourism.
The National Committee INTE CTN 34 is led by the ICT in the presidency and CANATUR in the vice presidency, and representatives of tourism service providers, chambers of the sector, consumers, academia and other stakeholders interested in the quality of tourism services in the country .
Currently 15 of these standards have already been revised and are in the process of being published and are related to different areas that include adventure tourism, diving services, natural areas, beaches, tourist guides, accommodations, restaurants, travel agencies, ports and boats among others. New working groups for tourism guides, industrial tourism, information offices and museums remain open. Recently, the adoption of an ISO regulation related to wellness tourism was achieved.
The participation of Costa Rica in these international forums contributes to the positioning of the country as a model of sustainable tourism, by preserving 25% of its territory in conservation areas and national parks. In addition, it owns 5% of the planet’s biodiversity. Tourism is considered one of the main engines of the economy and one of the elements that drive the economic recovery throughout the country of both medium and small businesses, representing 8.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) and generating 211 000 direct jobs. Last year the income of more than 3 million tourists was recorded.
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