As part of the campaign, “Who's essential to you?” the Institute of Tourism developed a Free Trip to Costa Rica giveaway available to citizens of Canada and the U.S. There were over 5,800 people participated in the contest. 

The campaign was launched in both North American countries between November 2020 and January 2021, in which 15 people and their companions won an all expenses paid one week trip.

The rules required a nomination for someone who was inspiring during those first months of uncertainty during the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic.

One of the winners, Lukas Beck from Canada, was nominated by his wife, Barbara. He inspired her because he was a computer technician that went out of his way to ensure people could study and work from home during the pandemic.

“I would like to nominate my husband Lukas Beck, who worked very hard during the covid-19 pandemic," Barbara wrote in the contest application. "He is a computer technician and has made sure that the people and students, who work from home, have computers at a reasonable price to be able to work and stay in school."

In her letter, Barbara said that her husband's mother died on New Year's Eve 2021 due to covid-19. "It's been pretty tough for him and I think he would really enjoy the vacation in Costa Rica to get his strength back, get some rest and process the pain," she said.

Lukas, Barbara and their children won a week-long trip to Carrillo Port in Guanacaste. "It was amazing, the guides were very professional and we were impressed by the Costa Rican people, very friendly and helpful, the food was amazing, especially the fresh fruit," Lukas said.

One of the winners from the U.S. was Adrienne Cox from the state of Wyoming. She traveled with her husband Bryan to Punta Islita Beach in Guanacaste.

She nominated her husband for being essential to her, her family and Johnson Junior High School, where he is the principal.

“We were able to hear the monkeys on the opposite slope when we were at Punta Islita. It was phenomenal! Thank you to everyone who made it possible for us to visit your beautiful country and for all the work you did to ensure the wonderful time we had," Cox said. "Costa Rica will always be in our hearts as a place of wonder and beauty.”

According to Carolina Trejos, institute director of advertising, Costa Rica manages to make travelers easily fall in love with the country. There is something that allows tourists to connect with what is truly essential in life and enjoy the natural beauty, she said.

"Each of these winners wants to return and travel with other people," Trejos added.

According to statistics from the institute, between March and April, more than 527,000 tourists from the U.S. and Canada entered by air.

In 2021, more than 852,000 arrived from the U.S. While from Canada over 18,000 tourists arrived.

Last year, over 1.3 million tourists arrived in Costa Rica.

To boost tourism, in April, authorities eliminated the covid pass requirement for fully-vaccinated people and the policy insurance requirement for unvaccinated people.

Since then, the government eased the pandemic health guidelines. The country will no longer need tourists to present a negative covid-19 test, quarantine upon arrival, be fully vaccinated against covid-19 or travel policy insurance. Also, the online Health Pass was disabled. 

As part of the country's strategy to boost tourism, last week the institute sponsored an article in a Mexican newspaper to promote Costa Rica as a versatile tourism destination.