The First Wellness and spa conference in Costa Rica will take place from 31 August to 2 September at the Convention Center Rafael Arenas in La Fortuna, San Carlos.

The event will include international experts, including Dr Antonio Freire, a medical hydrology and hydrotherapy specialist from Spain; Sonal Uberoi, CEO at Spa Balance Consulting from the UK; Dr Patricia Hernández from Mexico, a specialist in dermocosmetics and biostimulation; Dr. Ramón de la Rosa, academic president at the Latin-American Spa Association; and Bonnie Baker, co-founder of Satteva Spa & Wellness, among others.

The conference hopes to promote Costa Rica’s wellness culture, allowing international tourists to recognise the country as a wellness destination, where they can take advantage of its biodiversity, natural resources and scenery, as well as sustainable gastronomy.

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) wants to develop the country’s wellness niche and is supporting the conference in combination with the National Learning Institute (INA), the Arenal Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, Costa Rica wellness tourism Association (Wellness Costa Rica) and the Latin-American Spa Association.

“The ICT is modernising and opening up to the market’s needs and we’re committing to indorse policies that promote wellness tourism as part of the country’s offer,” said Maria Amalia Revelo, Costa Rica’s minister of tourism.

Organisers hope to create an “unforgettable experience” for the participants, where they will be able to go beyond the acquisition of new knowledge and business connections, and experience a series of sensory wellness activities place during the event, including a Tibetan bowls concert, meditation, aromatherapy and colour therapy with light effects in the room.

The conference’s topics include “global tendencies on wellness tourism 2019 and how to integrate it to your lifestyle”, thermalism, thalassotherapy, hydrology and hydrotherapy, as well as the newest treatments in dermocosmetics and its application in thermal centres and spas.

Topics such as wellness marketing, corporate wellness and how sustainable wellness can integrate cultural traditions and natural environments will also be covered.

Costa Rica’s own ‘Blue Zone’ of the Nicoya Peninsula – where a large number of people have lived to be 100 – will be discussed, as will recommendations for the creation of a strong wellness product will be provided, including its design.

“Costa Rica has been acknowledged on several occasions by the World Economic Forum as a leading destination in nature and adventure, since it has all necessary conditions to be consolidated as a paradise, allowing the visitor to detox from stress and daily rush, getting involved with the surroundings allowing unique and once-in-a-lifetime touristic activities,” said Melissa Tencio, wellness tourism strategy coordinator at the ICT.

Laura Barrantes, president of the Costa Rica Wellness Tourism Association and one of the organisers, said wellness tourism is presented as a strong incentive to promote the tourism in Costa Rica as an added value to the current tourism offer.

Attendance at the conference costs US$300, and those interested can register and learn more at the official web page: www.cibscr.com.