Spend any time in Costa Rica and you will quickly learn the country’s motto: pura vida. Literally translated as “pure life,” this phrase reflects a relaxed, optimistic and grateful way of living. It serves as a greeting, a farewell and an expression of thanks, and it captures the national spirit of resilience, calm and appreciation for simple pleasures. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, biodiversity, wellness and peace, Costa Rica might be called the responsible sibling of the Central American family.
Pura vida applies not only to daily life but also to business in Costa Rica. Meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) venues here stand out for sustainable practices and spectacular natural settings. Though geographically small—about 0.03 percent of the planet’s surface—Costa Rica has an outsized commitment to conservation and eco-friendly tourism that elevates its appeal for event planners.
Roughly one-third of the country’s population lives around the capital, San José, which makes the Costa Rica Convention Center a prime location just outside the city and only a 10-minute drive from Juan Santamaría International Airport. Opened in April 2018, this $35 million, 15,600-square-foot facility emphasizes Costa Rican sustainability with eco-conscious infrastructure. Room capacities range from intimate gatherings of 10 up to large assemblies of 3,038 people, while nine halls can host events sized from 40 to 4,000 attendees. Natural light, efficient LED lighting, solar-heated water systems and ample parking for 1,000 cars, 40 buses and 80 minibuses make the venue adaptable to diverse meeting formats.
Pacuare meeting room © JW Marriott Guanacaste Beach Resort
For planners seeking a venue that blends business functionality with dramatic tropical scenery, JW Marriott Guanacaste Beach Resort is a standout choice. Located a 45-minute drive from Liberia’s Guanacaste Airport, the resort delivers an immersive coastal experience where modern meeting facilities meet Pacific Ocean vistas. The property’s tranquil accommodations, handcrafted cocktails and spectacular sunsets create memorable backdrops for conferences, incentive trips and weddings, where ceremonies can be framed by the sound of crashing waves.
Costa Rica also offers a wide range of incentive experiences that pair naturally with corporate programs. Coffee tours are an especially fitting complement for groups, given the country’s rich coffee culture and ideal growing conditions. Interactive experiences such as Café Britt’s 90-minute tours combine guided tastings with lively commentary and hands-on participation. Hacienda Doka and El Toledo Organic Coffee Farm provide similarly engaging visits, each with its own distinctive character—much like the coffees they produce.
For teams seeking more adventurous incentives, volcano tours deliver dramatic encounters with Costa Rica’s volcanic landscape. Poás Volcano, standing at 8,848 feet with a crater nearly a mile wide, is a popular destination managed by local operators. Visitors can observe sulfur fumaroles and the crater’s scale up close; although the volcano has erupted intermittently—most recently with notable activity in 2017—trails are monitored for safety. Organizers should confirm trail access and safety conditions when planning group visits.
Poás Volcano © Michael Alpiner
By 2026 Costa Rica has reinforced its reputation as a global MICE destination by combining modern event infrastructure with the pura vida approach. Planners can convene strategy sessions in high-quality, sustainable facilities like the Costa Rica Convention Center and then transition to immersive team experiences in nature, creating programs that are both productive and restorative.
UNIQUE VENUES
Known for some of the richest, most wildlife-abundant jungles in Central America, Costa Rica provides planners a chance to exchange the urban conference hall for meetings enriched by authentic natural settings. Signature eco-tourism and sustainability practices allow business travelers to integrate meaningful environmental stewardship into their events.
Costa Rica’s MICE Forest initiative targets the carbon footprint of meetings and events through forest restoration and ecological regeneration. The program invites event planners to offset emissions from international travel and operations by supporting reforestation and habitat recovery projects. More than a carbon-offset mechanism, the initiative offers companies an opportunity to demonstrate commitment to substantive sustainability—combining productive meeting time with purposeful environmental action.
The program emphasizes restoration of mature dry forest ecosystems rather than simple tree plantations. The Horizontes Forest Experimental Station in Guanacaste, managed in partnership between the Costa Rican Tourism Institute and the National Forestry Financing Fund, serves as a primary site for these efforts. Incorporating the MICE Forest into event plans allows organizations to align corporate gatherings with Costa Rica’s national goals for carbon neutrality while embracing the pura vida ethos of respect for nature and community.