Costa Rica’s Best Prospects

Canadians who travel internationally for pleasure, who are extremely or very interested in visiting Costa Rica, and who are likely to travel to Central or South America for pleasure at some time in the future constitute a promising target market for Costa Rica. They account for 6.9% of all Canadian adults and comprise a market of approximately 1.8 million persons. In the remainder of this chapter, we refer to them as Costa Rica’s best prospects.

Profile of Costa Rica’s Best Prospects

Geographic Markets

Three provinces—Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia—account for the vast majority (83.3%) of Costa Rica’s best prospects.

Residents of Quebec have a particularly high propensity for interest in travel to Costa Rica; they account for 30.6% of Costa Rica’s best prospects but only 23.8% of Canadian adults The above-average interest in Costa Rica on the part of French speaking Canadians is not a recent phenomenon. For instance, in our 1998 survey, residents of Quebec accounted for 32.1% of Costa Rica’s best prospects and indexed 127. Like other Canadian international travelers, Costa Rica’s best prospects tend to be urban dwellers, making them relatively easy to reach. Nearly half (47.4%) live in just three metropolitan areas—Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. More than three-quarters (76.7%) live in areas with populations of 100,000 or more.

Top Metropolitan Areas (Best Prospects for Costa Rica)

Toronto - 19.3%
Montreal - 19.1%
Vancouver - 9.0%
Ottawa/Hull - 4.0%
Calgary - 3.8%
Quebec City - 3.0%
Edmonton - 2.6%
Winnipeg - 2.0%
London - 1.9%
Hamilton - 1.7%