Anyone who wants to avoid taking fragile souvenirs on a surf or volcano adventure will have the option to shop online and have their purchases sent to their hotels or even back home via the Costa Rican postal service.
For artisans such as Rodriguez, e-Tourist also offers the chance to move beyond cash and start accepting digital payments though the Mastercard´s tap-on-phone technology. It turns their mobile devices into acceptance devices, allowing merchants to offer tourists the same contactless experience they’ve come to expect at home without the need to purchase additional point-of-sale equipment. Online customers will have the choice of using web checkout or pay-by-link to buy the crafts using digital payment solutions from Banco de Costa Rica, another project partner.
“Many of these are women-led firms that are for the first time able to sell online, gain visibility with international customers, markets, and be paid directly,” says Kati Suominen, chief executive of Nextrade Group, which helps businesses and governments enable trade through technology and is advising the project.
But while legions of small business owners across Costa Rica swiftly pivoted online during the pandemic, many of the country’s artisans are still lagging behind and need more support to help digitize their businesses, she adds.
"These hard-working entrepreneurs are what make our travels so unique and memorable. As tourism continues to rebound from the pandemic, we want to make sure the recovery benefits everyone.” Quim Martínez
Costa Rica is not just concerned about the sustainability of its dense rainforests and tropical beaches — leaders want to make sure the thousands of small businesses that make up some 87% of its tourism industry are resilient.
“We’re also concerned that sustainability is socially and economically important,” says William Rodriguez, the country’s tourism minister.