By Peter Krupa
Tico Times Staff | pkrupa@ticotimes.net

Let the negotiations begin. EXPOTUR 2007 kicked off yesterday with the participation of 445 tourism-related companies at the Hotel Herradura conference center in Cariari, northwest of San José, as buyers gathered from all over the world to partake in Costa Rica's $1.7 billion tourism industry.

The event, hosted by the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT), has been taking place annually since 1984 and is the largest of its kind in the country.

The fair's growth has been slowed in recent years by the tight quarters at the convention center, and ACOPROT President Carlos Lizama said that the number of foreign buyers is down as a result.

However, according to an ACOPROT press release, 32% of the buyers at EXPOTUR this year represent “virgin” markets for Costa Rica, including Central European countries such as Poland and Latvia, as well as Nigeria, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

“You can see that the Costa Rican tourism product has improved year after year,” Lizama said.

The convention center was packed to the gills with slick booths featuring flat screen TVs and little cups of Café Britt-brand coffee. Some 150 international buyers wandered through the displays of Costa Rican companies.

Meanwhile, across the parking lot in the hotel lobby, an exposition of a different kind was taking place. ExpoVerde, held as a parallel to EXPOTUR, hosted 24 green suppliers seeking buyers for their tourism products. Hosted by the Corcovado Foundation, ExpoVerde has doubled in size since its first appearance last year.

Additionally, the Rainforest Alliance was drawing attention to sustainable tourism with a “Follow the Green Trial” card handed out to visitors. The card lists businesses that have earned a Certificate of Sustainable Tourism. Visitors who collected a stamp from each of these businesses proving they'd visited their stands to learn about sustainable practices could leave their completed cards with the Rainforest Alliance to enter a raffle. The winner will receive a “sustainable tour” for two people with food, lodging and transportation included.