H E Jairo Lopez, Chargé d’Affaires ai at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Qatar
Doha, Qatar: Qatar and Costa Rica enjoy strong bilateral ties which have been growing over the years. Both countries offer several opportunities that span across various fields.
Speaking to The Peninsula, H E Jairo Lopez, Chargé d’Affaires ai at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Qatar noted that Costa Rica is gaining importance as a destination for investment and tourism.
Regarding business opportunities, the official said, “Qatar is well recognised country for business and we are willing to take that advantage. We are very good friends, so hopefully we can work on more opportunities in this place.”
“There are some investments in hospitality (in Costa Rica) as we are offering many options to invest and hopefully we can work on that,” he added.
Costa Rica is a well known country for ecotourism. “Many people are coming to our country and we have plenty of things to offer. We have a big package for travelers and visitors can enjoy the Caribbean coast, Pacific coast, volcanoes, rain forests, adventures and medical tourism,” Lopez noted on the sidelines of Qatar Travel Mart 2023, held recently.
Ecotourism in Costa Rica is a robust industry because the country was one of the earliest adopters of connecting nature/wildlife conservation with responsible travel and has been ranked among the world’s best ecotourism destinations.
Many people visit Costa Rica and travel to other countries from here. “We are in middle of the Americas, we want to be a hub for people coming to Costa Rica and going to other countries.”
Lopez noted that Costa Rica has plenty to offer for tourism. People with US, Canadian, Schengen visa can travel without a need of visa and Qataris also do not need a visa to visit Costa Rica which makes it very easy for them.
The country offers a diverse range of products. “Qatar is buying a lot of our bananas, melons and other fresh fruits. Costa Rican coffee is well known around the world. We are bringing good quality coffee which can be found in coffee shops in Qatar. We had a great experience at the coffee exhibition in September. Hopefully, in future we can bring a lot of business people for these kinds of events to promote our country.”
“We are happy to have this first participation of Costa Rica at the Qatar Travel Mart 2023. After the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 many Costa Ricans were interested in coming to Qatar. Many Qataris and expatriates in Qatar are also interested in travelling to Costa Rica,” Lopez added.
