Latin American tourism

Costa Rica and Aruba are excellent tourism locations in Latin America, and the governments are actively starting ad campaigns to boost the numbers.

In Latin America, many economies are based on the tourism industry within. With a global cool down in the economy, many of these dependent countries may see a drop in tourism numbers. Many have put out ad campaigns hoping to draw back in the tourists that are so necessary here.

Costa Rica is one of the US tourist favourite destinations. Minister of Tourism there, Carlos Benavides will push a US $14 million campaign for advertising and marketing of the country to generate tourists. The goal of the campaign will be to lure back in many of Costa Rica's tourists who have started to wander to locations in Asian countries such as Thailand. Additionally, the campaign will centre around the fact that Costa Rica is closer as well as more affordable to visit than these far off destinations. The Minister here is worried about what a US recession could do to tourism in the country.

In other areas, such as Aruba, bad press is holding the country back from reaping the rewards it once saw in tourism. Here, many believe that the US tourism fell off after the Natalee Holloway case surfaced. The tourism officials here will invest too in ads hoping to draw back in necessary and needed tourism dollars. Up to 70 per cent of visitors to Aruba are from the US. A major ad blitz is planned to market the country.

A drop in tourism dollars in any of these regions could hurt these country's economies considerably, most economists believe.

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