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COSTA RICA WHERE THE LIVIN' IS EASY ical rain forests and fabulous beaches. Situated near the equator, the temperature is warm-hot – even at night. A peace-loving country, Costa Rica has no standing army. After the civil war in 1948, Costa Rica disbanded its army and passed a law forbid- ding the maintenance of such. Its police officers don't carry guns. The only armed forces in the country are the border guards, who carry rifles. The population in San Jose, the capital, is 1.5 million – counted during the last census in 2002. There are 5 million residents in the entire coun- try. Getting to Costa Rica is fairly easy from the U.S. Lacsa Airlines is a good bet. Four major U.S. airlines (United, American, Delta and Continen- tal) also have daily routes. Costa Rican money is called colones. The best place to exchange money is at the airport or in downtown San Jose. SAN JOSE San Jose is not unlike any other major city. In the morning there are lots of folks walking the streets. There's plenty of hustle and bustle as they get the day started. The Central Market, which, of course has fresh produce every day, is crowded, but cru- cial. The streets of San Jose are littered with fast food establishments like Quiznos, Subway, KFC, Burger King, Denny's, Domino's and Wendy's. So, any Americans han- kering for a taste of home, will find adequate food fare. If you truly want to know about a particular culture, visit museums. In San Jose there is the Gold Museum, one of the world's four muse- ums focused on Pre- Columbian gold; the Jade Museum, featuring Pre-Columbia jade and the National Museum, which exhibits Pre-Columbian art, the indigenous culture, geology, archeology, history and Costa Rican colonial life. Essential to San Jose's economy is coffee. The 450 acre Doka Estate Coffee Tour dokaestate.com, the oldest mill in the country, has tours to explain how coffee is processed. Small groups (16 max) interested in taking the 90-minute tour can also S I T E R E V I E W # 1 Black Meetings & Tourism December 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 18 There is a warm, welcoming breeze wafting through Costa Rica. It's not so much the weather as it is the people and their hos- pitality. For sure, there is no mystery to why Costa Rica has become one of the most popular destinations in the last decade. It could be the combination of good food and great hotels, white beaches, tropical rainforests, volcanoes, amazing div- ing, or a never-ending amount of exotic wildlife. Or, it could be the natural beauty, art, education, ecological richness, peace or culture. It really doesn't matter. It could be one those attributes, or it could be all of them. Tourism has doubled in the last 10 years, making it a size- able portion of Costa Rica's economy. In 2007, 1.9 million people visited the country. The U.S. is the main tourism market. Americans make up a staggering 56% of air arrivals. Unfortunately, of the 14.1 million Americans estimated to want to come to the Central America country, data doesn't reveal what percentage is African-American. While the country is actively putting forth a promotion initiative, regrettably, there is no direct effort to go after the African-American market, according to Maria Amalia Revelo, deputy manager and director of Marketing for the Costa Rica Tourist Board. Of course, "low budgets" are the culprit. "This is a country with limitations on its budget," said Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Costa Rica's minister of tourism. Marketing efforts include direct con- sumer magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, Miami Herald, National Geographic, Traveler, Travel and Leisure and Condé Nast. About 220,000 Europeans visit annually and the number is growing, according to Revelo. Not surprising, about 50,000 Americans currently call Costa Rica home. To fully understand Costa Rica, here are some basics. If you need additional information, the Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT) has a host of tourist ideas. Located on the southernmost part of the five republics that comprise Central America, Costa Rica is bordered by Panama to the South and Nicaragua to the North, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the West. If you're on the Atlantic Coast there is fishing, wildlife, trop- B Y D A R L E N E C . D O N L O E