Costa Rica is expanding its international wellness tourism profile by combining nature, thermal waters, outdoor activities and healthy lifestyles with its established Pura Vida tourism identity
Costa Rica is placing greater emphasis on wellness tourism as it seeks to attract international travelers looking for experiences centered on relaxation, nature and personal wellbeing.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is promoting the country as a destination where its biodiversity and established tourism infrastructure can be combined with wellness experiences. The approach builds on the country's Wellness Pura Vida strategy, which has been developed to give Costa Rica a distinctive position in the international wellness travel market.
The concept encompasses activities ranging from spa treatments and thermal bathing to forest experiences, outdoor exercise, massage, hydrotherapy, relaxation and healthy nutrition.
Nature becomes part of the wellness experience
Unlike wellness destinations primarily associated with resorts and spas, Costa Rica is using its natural environment as an integral part of the tourism product.
Rainforests, beaches, mountains, volcanic landscapes and thermal springs provide settings for activities intended to combine travel with relaxation and physical activity.
Nature-based experiences can include hiking, yoga, meditation and other outdoor activities, while thermal waters and spa facilities add a more traditional wellness component.
This combination allows wellness travel to be incorporated into a wider Costa Rican itinerary rather than functioning solely as a stand-alone resort experience.
International promotion focuses on wellbeing
The wellness positioning remains part of Costa Rica's international tourism strategy in 2026.
The ICT has been promoting the country's wellbeing offering in important overseas markets. At the ANATO tourism fair in Colombia, Costa Rica presented experiences centered on personal balance, guided meditation, sound therapy and contact with nature.
A separate European campaign launched during ITB Berlin 2026 emphasizes travel experiences associated with regeneration, nature and personal wellbeing. The campaign is targeting Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Netherlands and is scheduled to continue through November.
Europe is an important market for Costa Rican tourism. According to ICT figures, 419,820 European visitors arrived in the country by air during 2025.
Thermal waters, forests and healthy lifestyles
Costa Rica's wellness tourism concept draws on several resources already established within its tourism industry.
Volcanic regions provide access to thermal waters and hydrotherapy-related experiences, while forest environments offer opportunities for relaxation and nature-based activities. Spas, massages, physiotherapy, rest programs and healthy food are also included within the broader Wellness Pura Vida concept.
The country's tourism authorities have additionally connected wellness development with sustainability and local economic activity.
This creates opportunities for smaller tourism businesses and rural destinations to participate in the segment through accommodation, gastronomy, nature activities and specialized wellness services.
Wellness broadens Costa Rica's tourism profile
Costa Rica has traditionally built much of its international tourism reputation around biodiversity, ecotourism and outdoor adventure.
Wellness tourism provides an opportunity to use many of the same natural assets for a different travel motivation, targeting visitors interested in slowing down, improving their sense of wellbeing and combining holidays with healthier activities.
The strategy also allows established tourism products to overlap. A traveler visiting Costa Rica for nature or adventure can add thermal bathing, yoga, spa treatments, healthy gastronomy or relaxation experiences without requiring a dedicated wellness trip.
By integrating these elements into its broader tourism promotion, Costa Rica is positioning wellness as another dimension of the Pura Vida experience and as a growing component of its international visitor offering.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
