In 2025, Costa Rica’s tourism sector posted a result that caught many observers off guard. Despite continued global interest in nature-based travel, international arrivals rose by only 1% , signaling that the country’s post-pandemic recovery had begun to level off. Rather than respond with short-term incentives or higher-density development, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) initiated a longer-term strategic reset. The objective is ambitious: increase annual tourism fro