Costa Rica Tourism Board breaks new campaign
By Adnews Staff
The Costa Rica Tourism Board has begun a new advertising campaign in the United States and Canada, intended to encourage visitors to consider the Central American country as a destination for travel, study abroad and second homes. The campaign, called "Costa Rica's Million Dollar Gift of Happiness," will run until Feb. 5, 2012. During the initiative, the board will award US$1 million worth of one-week trips to Costa Rica to consumers in the US and Canada. Consumers can enter the contest via the board's Facebook page. The campaign also includes social media activities and media relations. The campaign includes five online videos depicting various themed vacations winners can select. According to the board, the campaign is based on Costa Rica's ranking as one of the happiest places in the world by the New Economic Foundation's Happy Planet Index, which rates satisfaction based on a country's quality of life, life expectancy and carbon footprint. "Costa Rica has long embraced American and Canadian visitors with open arms," said Costa Rica Tourism Minister Allan Flores. "Sharing our country with others is one of the things that make Costa Ricans most happy, and this campaign will demonstrate that we really mean it when we say it." This is the first time in 16 years that the Costa Rica Tourism Board has conducted an institutional advertising campaign in the US and Canada. The campaign was developed by 22squared of Atlanta.