• The first boats arrived to Harbor 70
With the exclusive idea to attract the European market to the country and promote Costa Rica as a sustainable destination, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT, in Spanish); represented by the Minister Allan Flores together with President Oscar Arias Sanchez, inaugurated the Transat Villa in Puerto Limón last Saturday November 21st.
This act had the assistance of the institution’s CEO, Juan Carlos Borbón, the Sub-manager and Merchandise Director, María Amalia Revelo, and other ICT officials with the idea to participate in one of the most important events of the year. Other guests included former Tourism Minister, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, deputies from the Tourism Commission of the Legislative Assembly, representatives of the province of Limón, France Ambassador, high officials of the French enterprises that formed part of the organization as well as national institutions that have worked directly in the 9th Edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre.
On Monday the boat Crèpes Whaou! arrived at 22:30. It is the first time the multihull wins this competition. Yesterday in the morning, at 03:00, Safrán got to the harbor becoming the winner for the monohulls. Safrán was the leader in the Transat Jacques Vabre during many days. The rests of the boats are expected to arrive from today up to December 10th. At the beginning the expectation was that the first boats could arrive last Friday and that they will be present during the inauguration of the villa last Saturday. However, tropical depressions and the diminishing of the trade winds cause the late arrival.
More than 70 reporters of the international media are present in Limón. Very important media such as the Paris Match, Le Figaro Magazine, L’Express, Les Echos and the Radio Group France, among others. They have emphasized not only the characteristics of the competition, but the qualities of our country. From the first weekend in France when the competition started, the media has elaborated not only different analysis, articles, interviews and chronicles about the competition but also about Limón, Costa Rica; the new destination that everyone wants to know. The reward of the investment without any doubt will be superior of the €30 million.
If the last Transat Jacques Vabre broke all records in terms of media coverage in the 2007, this 9th edition seems to enjoy the same characteristic: press, radio, television, photography and publicity networks will give the optimum coverage to the regatta,” affirmed Jacques Lanusse-Cazale spokesperson.
The ICT hopes that in the course of this week thousands of tourists from Europe, as well as Costa Ricans will be part of those that are already in the Caribbean to enjoy the arrival of the boats and the activities programmed in “La Villa” and the rest of Limón.
In “La Villa” the ICT installed a 45-meter-square-stand with a similar design of the one in Le Havre Port, France. With an attractive photograph collage that reflects the flora and fauna that one can find in the country, emphasizing the Caribbean Beaches and the Tortuguero Channels, all visitors can obtain specific information from the tourist enterprises affiliated to the different tourism chambers of the region.
The cultural and recreational activities for this week from 9am to 8pm include: gospel and calypso concerts, artistic performances in the Parque Vargas, plays, vehicles exhibitions, kite festival, a contest of clothes made with recycled material, a fashion show of Traditional Customs in Harbor 70, gastronomical contest for the best “pati”, in the Boulevard of Limón, a big parade of oxcarts, mules, and horses in the Park Asis Esna, among others.
Limón will be this week the most visited place in the country because of the celebration, the product exhibition, the joy one can breathe and the exquisite local gastronomy. The ICT invites you to discover and enjoy the natural and cultural beauty in Puerto Limón.
About the Transat Jacques Vabre:
- Transat Jacques Vabre is a sailboat competition (monohulls and multihulls) that crosses the Atlantic. It is held every two years. In France, this competition is as important as events such as Le Tour de France or the Roland Garros Tournament.
- In previous years, the ports of Brazil and Colombia had received the participants of this nautical competition. The first edition was realized in 1993 with Cartagena, Colombia as destination.
- The competition started when Kraft Food International, through its coffee brand Jacques Vabre, had the idea of the competition using the historical coffee route.
- This 9th edition, 20 boats sapped from Le Havre in France and the arrival is our Port of Limon, a 9,000 kilometer journey.
- Jacques Vabre coffee is sold in France. It is a coffee of clean production (among them and the Costa Rican producers in Turrialba). It was important for the selection of Limon to be the port that made the first exportation of coffee to Europe.
- The organizers of the Transat Jacques Vabre are the enterprises Jacques Vabre and Pen Duick.
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