Photo: Lauren Harrigan/UNSPALSH

Under the premise of conceiving wellness tourism as part of a way of life that combines physical exercise, healthy eating and the practice of various activities to renew the mind, soul and body, Costa Rica is being promoted as a Wellness Tourism destination, having the ideal conditions to detoxify from stress and the daily hustle and bustle.

The Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT), through the official website www.visitcostarica.com, conceptualizes that Wellness includes activities such as: trekking (low-difficulty walks), forest bath (breathing in the pure air of the forest), earthing (barefoot walking in the dirt/sand); healthy gastronomy; food and spa mix (splunch); and the consumption of local products in contact with nature.

Costa Rica also features new relaxation techniques such as wraps, in which volcanic mud, coffee, tropical fruits and chocolate are used to hydrate the skin; as well as hydrotherapy and the use of thermal waters.

Also, this destination offers a quality infrastructure and affordable prices for mental health treatments. The international crisis, points out www.revistaviajesdigital.com, being experienced in the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic may represent an opportunity to promote medical tourism in Costa Rica, given the high cost of treatments and rehabilitation processes in other countries, coupled with weakened health systems due to attention to the health emergency.

The president of the Costa Rica Treatment Center, Gernot Holtz, believes that the country offers excellent conditions, not only because of the trained personnel and appropriate facilities, but also in economic terms. The cited source adds that Costa Rica is one of the five countries that has registered a greater increase in visits by Americans in search of medical treatment, according to a ranking by International Living magazine.

Especially for North Americans, Mexico and Costa Rica have become the most popular destinations for dental care, cosmetic surgery, and prescription drugs, according to larepublica.net.

In this context, Costa Rica stands out as a sustainable tourism destination. In an exclusive interview with Travel Begins at 40, Gustavo Segura Sancho, Minister of Tourism and CEO of the Costa Rican Tourism Board, explained how sustainable tourism is essential for the economy and lifestyle of the Central American nation.

Likewise, the minister said that Costa Rica is a safe destination to visit in 2021, since it has an exemplary health system. The efforts to recover from COVID-19 were recognized by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), by awarding it the Safe Travels seal, first in the global field of safety and hygiene, which allows travelers to identify sites that have adopted standardized protocols.