DUBAI- Emirates airline welcomed President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica, the First Lady of the Republic, Claudia Dobles Camargo and their delegation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive, together with the airline's executives: Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior VP for International Affairs, and Salem Obaidalla, Senior VP Commercial Operations for the Americas, met with the delegation from Costa Rica.

In tandem with the meeting, Emirates announced initiatives to promote Costa Rica as a tourism destination to its global customer base. This includes offering enhanced air connectivity to the central American country through its codeshare partners, and the introduction of bespoke travel packages to Costa Rica under its Emirates Holidays business.

Sheikh Ahmed said, "In 2004, Emirates established the first non-stop flight to connect the UAE with the Americas. Ever since, we've focused on expanding those air transport links which are crucial to building stronger trade and tourism ties.

"Emirates has seen an increase in demand from travellers who wish to connect onward to Costa Rica from our gateways in the USA and Mexico, and we've been in positive discussions with our interline and codeshare partners to expand travel options to serve this demand. In cooperation with Avianca, Emirates will soon be able to offer our customers connections to Costa Rica via Bogota from more airports including European points such as Barcelona, Madrid and London.

We look forward to developing even further ties with Costa Rica in the future." President Quesada said, "I'd like to thank the UAE and Expo 2020 Dubai team for the warm welcome. Today, we are celebrating and strengthening the ties between UAE and Costa Rica. Like the UAE, Costa Rica is welcoming to tourists and businesses, and we also have a very strong sustainability focus as we want to ensure that we preserve our world for future generations. We are proud to showcase a slice of what Costa Rica has to offer at our Expo Dubai Pavilion."

Francisco J. Chacon Hernandez., Costa Rica's Ambassador to the UAE, said, "We warmly welcome Emirates airline's initiatives to promote Costa Rica as a destination. Our beautiful country has something for every traveller, and we look forward to welcome more people from the UAE and from around the world to visit Costa Rica."

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2021.