For Costa Rica, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, "football has become the best tool to improve the economy," according to Alonso Castilla of EL CONFIDENCIAL. Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Relations "is working to take advantage of the national team's success, urging the country's Foreign Service to strengthen the promotion of Costa Rica as a country to visit and to increase the amount of commercial and cultural exchange." Costa Rican government officials believe the country "is in a position that could not be better for the spreading of its natural beauty regarding both tourism and developing commercial exchanges and investments." This year, thanks to the World Cup, Costa Rica "is expecting to break the record for number of tourists visiting the country." Tourism is fundamental for the country's economy, as "it directly employs some 150,000 people and indirectly, another 400,000." The country made $2.43M from tourism in '13. During the World Cup, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ITC) "doubled its efforts to roll out, through the success of the national team, various efforts to strengthen the 'Costa Rica brand.'" The plan "centered on advertising, selling the country as the perfect vacation destination, in addition to underlining that it offers various interesting types of business." The ITC created a 30-second commercial with the slogan, "A small country with a huge vision." It has aired in the U.S., Spain, Germany, U.K., Netherlands and France. The spot is estimated to have been seen by 14 million people. ITC Marketing Dir Ireth Rodríguez said, "The great work done by our national team represents an opportunity for the country and the entire tourism chain, from airlines and travel agencies to economic sectors like commerce and all those that have found in this event a dynamic factor for business. ... One of the fundamental pillars of our campaigns and marketing strategies is guaranteeing the positioning of the country as a unique destination in the mind of consumers." Foreign Services Minister Manuel González Sanz said, "Thanks for putting the name of Costa Rica up so high in the world, and thanks for bringing so much happiness to us and to to all of Central America" (
EL CONFIDENCIAL, 7/10).
