Sustainability is one of the most important factors explaining Costa Rica’s attractiveness to tourists.
This initiative began in 2016 with IMEX Trade shows, when it consisted of boosting brand presence at trade fairs while also offsetting flights by Hosted Buyers attending meeting travel fairs.
In order to carry out this offsetting, a partnership was created with FONAFIFO that resulted in transferring land in Guanacaste that required reforestation.
The MICE Forest is located in the Horizontes Experimental Station. Horizontes Station is a research and development facility as well as a protected area served exclusively by a staff made up of members of the community. These workers enjoy social security benefits as well as learning about the local ecosystems and protecting them for future generations. They also help groups of visitors who come to learn about Costa Rica’s dry forest.
The site is also a popular destination for visits by students from universities, high schools and primary schools who come to learn about the dry forest.
The property receives support from the payment for environmental services (PES) program from ICT-FONAFIFO. No trees are planted, as the area is a natural regeneration site. The aim is to return to a mature forest ecosystem over time so that the local fauna gains additional habitat.
