Essential COSTA RICA

Essential COSTA RICA is the nation brand of the Republic of Costa Rica. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer company, it functions as a coordinated country-marketing platform and licensing system intended to give Costa Rica a consistent identity in international markets. Its remit brings together activities that had previously been promoted separately, especially tourism, foreign trade, export development, investment attraction, and the presentation of Costa Rican culture and national capabilities. The brand was formally established by Executive Decree No. 37669-RE-COMEX-TUR on March 22, 2013. Its institutional governance brings together the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER), the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, and the Ministry of Culture and Youth. This structure reflects the brand’s broad purpose: it is not limited to destination advertising, but is also intended to support companies and organizations that represent Costa Rica abroad. Essential COSTA RICA emerged from a policy context in which sustainable tourism was viewed as an important contributor to national development. Earlier tourism communication, including the “Costa Rica, No Artificial Ingredients” campaign, strongly emphasized biodiversity, protected areas, and sustainability. By the early 2010s, however, policymakers and promotional institutions sought a more comprehensive country image that could also communicate the quality of Costa Rican exports, the attractiveness of the country for foreign investment, and the capabilities of its business and services sectors. The brand’s licensing protocol evaluates applicants against five values: excellence, sustainability, social progress, innovation, and Costa Rican linkage. Companies and other eligible entities may seek authorization for corporate communications, products and packaging, tourism activities, or specific events. Product use requires corporate authorization, while tourism applicants must meet relevant requirements of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, such as a tourism declaration or sustainability-related certification. Licenses are also available to qualifying foreign or domestic entities engaged in exports, foreign trade, investment attraction, tourism, export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises, and related economic activities. The brand’s intended audiences include international tourists, foreign investors, importers and buyers, governments, business partners, and Costa Rican citizens. Its positioning draws on Costa Rica’s established international associations with biodiversity, renewable energy, environmental protection, democratic institutions, social development, and high-quality services and products. Tourism is an important context: Costa Rica became a prominent nature and ecotourism destination from the late 1980s onward, supported by national parks, protected areas, beaches, and a globally distinctive biodiversity profile. Essential COSTA RICA extends those associations beyond travel by presenting them as evidence of a broader national model. In October 2023, the government announced a long-term enhancement of the brand centered on “natural intelligence.” The concept is intended to frame Costa Rica’s environmental and social achievements as the result of practical national choices rather than merely natural scenery. The strategy highlights sustainability, climate action, forest recovery, renewable electricity, protected land and maritime territory, biodiversity, education, peace, and quality of life. It seeks to strengthen Costa Rica’s international reputation during the following decade while giving the country brand a more explicit strategic narrative. The brand has received international place-marketing and design recognition, including Country Brand of the Year at the 2019 City Nation Place Awards, a 2019 silver award from El Ojo de Iberoamérica, a 2020 Brand Strategy recognition from the Place Marketing Forum in France, and a 2022 City Nation Place Awards recognition for the redesign of the Costa Rican passport. As an institutional country brand, its performance is best understood through the reach of its licensed community, the visibility of its promotional programs, and its contribution to a coherent national image rather than through product sales or standalone corporate financial results.

Costa Rica’s modern country-branding effort developed from the country’s long-standing international reputation as a nature and ecotourism destination. From the late 1980s, Costa Rica experienced rapid growth in international tourism, supported by national parks, protected areas, biodiversity, beaches, and a comparatively strong sustainability narrative. Tourism promotion increasingly presented the country as a destination associated with environmental stewardship rather than conventional mass tourism. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute’s earlier “Costa Rica, No Artificial Ingredients” campaign helped establish biodiversity and sustainability as central themes in international communications. This approach was consistent with national development priorities that treated sustainable tourism as an important source of employment, foreign exchange, and regional development. It also benefited from the country’s reputation for democratic stability, social investment, and environmental initiatives. By 2012, Costa Rica had achieved a strong position in international country-brand rankings, but the public image remained primarily tourism-oriented. Government and promotional agencies identified a need to represent other strategic sectors, including exports, high-value services, foreign direct investment, innovation, and culture. The response was the creation of a unified nation brand rather than a tourism-only slogan. Essential COSTA RICA was formally created through Executive Decree No. 37669-RE-COMEX-TUR on March 22, 2013. An inter-institutional framework was established to coordinate the work of PROCOMER, ICT, COMEX, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, and the Ministry of Culture and Youth. This governance model allowed the brand to endorse a wider range of national activities while maintaining a common set of values and evaluation standards. The licensing system was designed to make the country brand usable by qualifying companies and organizations. Applicants are assessed according to excellence, sustainability, social progress, innovation, and Costa Rican linkage. Approved users can apply the identity to corporate materials, websites, social media, facilities, products, labels, packaging, tourism services, and selected promotional events. The system therefore operates both as a communications platform and as a quality-and-values signal for Costa Rican businesses seeking international visibility. In the tourism sector, the brand operates within a wider national sustainability ecosystem that includes the Costa Rican Tourism Institute’s tourism declarations and sustainability programs. This connects Essential COSTA RICA with the country’s broader efforts to manage natural resources, encourage responsible tourism, and distinguish Costa Rica from destinations competing primarily on price or volume. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, Essential COSTA RICA received recognition for country branding, environmental communication, place-marketing strategy, and design. These recognitions reinforced the program’s role as an internationally oriented national identity rather than a single tourism campaign. In October 2023, the government announced a new decade-long direction organized around “natural intelligence.” The strategy presents sustainability as a form of national knowledge and practical policy, drawing attention to forest recovery, renewable electricity, conservation, biodiversity, education, peace, and quality of life. It aims to update and deepen the brand’s established environmental positioning while linking that positioning to investment, trade, tourism, and Costa Rican national identity. Essential COSTA RICA remains an active public-sector country brand and licensing framework.

• 2023

  Natural intelligence strategy announced

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  Costa Rica announced a new long-term narrative focused on sustainability, climate responsibility, conservation, and national achievements.

• 2022

  Passport redesign receives design recognition

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  The Costa Rican passport redesign received a Best Use of Design award at the City Nation Place Awards.

• 2020

  Brand strategy recognition

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  The brand received recognition for its strategy from the Place Marketing Forum in France.

• 2019

  Country Brand of the Year recognition

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  Essential COSTA RICA received Country Brand of the Year recognition at the City Nation Place Awards in London.

• 2013

  Essential COSTA RICA is formally established

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  Executive Decree No. 37669-RE-COMEX-TUR created the nation brand and its inter-institutional governance framework.

• 2012

  Costa Rica gains strong country-brand recognition

  [1]Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org

  Costa Rica was ranked highly in an international nation-brand index, while policymakers identified the need to broaden the country image beyond tourism.

A values-based Costa Rican country brand linking excellence, sustainability, social progress, innovation, and national identity with tourism, exports, and investment.

• Nation-brand licensing · 2013

  Corporate-use license

  Authorization for eligible organizations to use Essential COSTA RICA in institutional communications, websites, social-media channels, professional materials, and physical locations. The license is designed to associate a participating organization with the country brand’s values and international positioning.

• Nation-brand licensing · 2013

  Product-use license

  A product endorsement for qualifying goods, labels, and packaging. Product use is linked to the corporate-use authorization and allows exporters and other eligible companies to communicate a Costa Rican origin associated with quality, sustainability, innovation, social progress, and national linkage.

• Tourism branding · 2013

  Tourism-sector license

  A licensing route for tourism businesses that meet the relevant requirements of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. It is intended for tourism services aligned with Costa Rica’s destination identity and sustainability-oriented positioning, including leisure, adventure, business, and nature-related tourism.

• Promotional licensing · 2013

  Event-use license

  A temporary authorization for promotional events that fit the country brand’s objectives and values. It enables compatible events and initiatives to use Essential COSTA RICA as part of international or domestic communication without becoming permanent licensees.

• 2023Natural intelligence

  International markets · Costa Rica

  A long-term brand strategy announced by the Costa Rican government to frame environmental protection and social achievements as evidence of the country’s practical, collective intelligence. The narrative highlights conservation, forest recovery, renewable electricity, biodiversity, peace, education, and quality of life.

  Outcome. The initiative was presented as the direction for strengthening Essential COSTA RICA over the following decade.

  Source
• 2010Costa Rica, No Artificial Ingredients

  International tourism markets

  A Costa Rican Tourism Institute campaign that emphasized the country’s biodiversity, natural attractions, and sustainability credentials. It provided an important communications foundation for the later, broader Essential COSTA RICA nation brand.

  Outcome. The campaign helped consolidate Costa Rica’s nature-tourism image, although the subsequent country brand expanded the remit to exports, investment, culture, and national competitiveness.

  Source

• 2023

  Adopt the natural-intelligence narrativeStrategy

  Background

  The government sought to refresh Costa Rica’s environmental reputation and connect it with concrete national policies and achievements.

  Action taken

  A decade-long enhancement of Essential COSTA RICA was announced around sustainability and natural intelligence.

  Aftermath

  The strategy provided a new umbrella narrative for promoting Costa Rica’s environmental, social, tourism, trade, and investment credentials.

  Source

• 2013

  Create an integrated national brandStrategy

  Background

  Costa Rica’s international image was strong in tourism but did not fully represent exports, foreign investment, high-value services, and culture.

  Action taken

  The government established Essential COSTA RICA through an executive decree and assigned several public institutions responsibility for coordination.

  Aftermath

  The program became a cross-sector country-brand and licensing framework rather than a tourism-only promotional identity.

  Source

1. 1Tourism in Costa Ricaen.wikipedia.org