Controversy Surrounds
Building Of Convention Centre
Earlier this week the appointed ministro de
Turismo, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, announced
that Costa Rica will have a convention
centre soon, as the Chinchilla
administration's priority is to complete an
ambitious plan to build a Centro Nacional de
Convenciones (National Convention Centre).
However, that may easier said than done.
Some of the obstacles facing the project
include the fact that Costa Rica does not
count with the infrastructure to service the
needs of business tourism and there may be a
dispute over the land to house the
convention centre.
The next Tourism minister is not detracted.
Benavides assures that the next
administration will build the infrastructure
in the next four years and that the land to
be used in the project is already owned by
the government.
The problem, however, is that another group,
the Feria Costa Rica, a private group run by
the Alta Group, wants to do the same and use
the same parcel of land.
The land in question is right across from
the Hotel Real Cariari, on the north side of
the autopista General Cañas, and owned by
the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG).
Although both projects are feasible, if
according to Benavides will have the
infrastructure in place, it would be
impossible to house both on the same parcel
of land.
One option is the Instituto Costarricense de
Turismo (ICT) to build on another site.
However, Feria de Costa Rica, is not happy
with that solution, saying they would leave
Costa Rica if the ICT projects moves ahead,
saying that there isn't a market for two
convention centres in Costa Rica.
"There is no logic in having to competing
centres", said MOnica Araya, vice-president
of Feria Costa Rica.
If that were to happen it could be a great
loss for Costa Rica, as Feria Costa Rica is
managed by Feria Valencia, the third largest
administrator of such projects in the world,
with more than 40 years of experience and
knowledge of convention centres.
"How is the ICT going to compete with
that?", asks Araya.
Araya agrees that currently Costa Rica lacks
the infrastructure and as such is losing
revenue generated by business tourism.
Tha claim is backed up by figures of the
Cámara Nacional de Turismo (CANATUR) that
shows that business tourists spend on
average us$2.000 per trip, while other
tourists spend us$1.200.
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