- The Costa Rican Tourism Institute was honored with the Platinum and Gold HSMAI Adrian Awards in the brand campaign category for the “More Essential Than Ever” strategy. It also received two additional awards in the categories of Influencer Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Costa Rica was awarded four prizes at the Adrian Awards 2025, considered the “Oscars” of travel, hospitality, and destination marketing. The accolades included the highest distinctions, specifically the Platinum (the most prestigious award) and Gold trophies in the brand category for the implementation and execution of the “More Essential Than Ever” integrated marketing strategy, developed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute in 2024.
Additionally, two more awards were received:
- Gold in the Influencer Marketing category for the production and concept of “Wellness Week: Transformational Travel.”
- Silver in the Corporate Social Responsibility category for the “Leave No Trace” sustainability campaign developed in collaboration with Matador Network.
These prestigious recognitions were presented at the 68th annual Adrian Awards 2025 ceremony, organized by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). The event took place at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, located in the heart of Times Square, a major showcase of global advertising and marketing trends.
“In 2024, we launched an integrated marketing campaign in the United States. We partnered with strategic allies like Amazon, Volta, and Whole Foods to reach our audiences and a specific market segment in a more strategic way, showcasing what Costa Rica is and how to enjoy its diverse offerings across multiple channels,” said Carolina Trejos, ICT’s Marketing Director, after receiving the awards.
Trejos added, “This joint and innovative effort allowed us to earn prestigious awards in the communication and advertising industry, especially in the hospitality and destination tourism categories. It is a very significant recognition, proving that the strategy used to promote our country in its most important market is world-class. Our goal is always to strengthen Costa Rica’s positioning as a tourism destination that offers unique experiences,” she concluded.
According to the event organizers, the 2025 Adrian Awards received approximately 1,200 submissions, which were evaluated by a panel of communication experts. The jury highlighted outstanding campaigns and strategies in advertising, digital marketing, public relations, and integrated campaigns.
A Strategy “More Essential Than Ever”
As part of the entry process for these prestigious awards, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, together with its advertising and marketing agency MMGY Global, submitted a video summarizing the key achievements of the “More Essential Than Ever” integrated marketing strategy. This campaign included videos, social media content, strategic partnerships, and large-scale events designed to inspire potential North American travelers to fall in love with Costa Rica.
The strategy also featured partnerships with renowned commercial allies, including Amazon and Whole Foods—companies aligned with Costa Rica’s values in terms of sustainability and healthy lifestyle promotion. As part of the campaign, over one million paper grocery bags were distributed, decorated with images of Costa Rican biodiversity. These bags were designed to be colored and repurposed in multiple ways. Additionally, electric vehicle charging stations were installed in collaboration with Volta, and a digital marketing campaign with short audiovisual pieces complemented the promotional efforts.
These actions were executed in key cities across the United States and Canada, including Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton. Other promotional efforts included in-person wellness events, such as mass yoga sessions like “Yoga in the Park” in New York and “Yoga in the Rocks” in Denver, Colorado.
All these initiatives generated over 80 million paid media impressions and 7.6 billion total impressions from activations and media coverage. In digital marketing terms, an “impression” refers to the number of times content is displayed to a user on a platform.
According to the latest ICT data, 1,587,138 American tourists visited Costa Rica by air in 2024, marking a 10.3% growth and reinforcing the United States as the country’s primary source market for visitors. Canada ranked second, with 257,395 tourists arriving by air, representing a 5.9% increase.
