During my recent annual pilgrimage to one of my favorites countries, Costa Rica, I had the honor to have a private meeting with Wilhelm von Breymann Barquero, Costa Rica’s newly appointed Minster of Tourism, just 1 week old in his position.

During our discussion that also included the Instituto Costaricense de Turismo’s (ICT), Heilyn James Farguharson, we discussed the future of tourism in Costa Rica, well known for it’s strong, long-time commitment to ecotourism and sustainable practices.

Minister Barquero, with his impressive background in tourism in the private sector, was excited about his new position and talked about further developing the wellness aspects of tourism – mind, body, spirit and also cultural connections with rural communities in Costa Rica. I was delighted to hear this since Holbrook is also working on further develop of these same areas.

We also talked about the importance of continuing the focus on safety in security as well as sustainable practices for operating travel programs in partnership with local Costa Rican’ operators as a best practice. I was excited to share Holbrook’s commitment to support local operations all over Costa Rica.

Before saying goodbye, I was also happy to thank the Minister and ICT for their support in promoting Costa Rica to our birding, student and adult markets in the coming years.

The future looks bright – pura vida!