By Heredia, Costa Rica — In a strategic push to position cultural heritage as a core driver of economic growth, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has officially launched the second season of its reality competition series, Costa Rica, a country of flavors to discover. Released across the institution’s primary social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, the digital-first production aims to stimulate domestic travel and reinforce local tourism value chains.
The six-episode series focuses on six high-performing culinary students aged between 20 and 26, representing top technical and university institutions across the country. Filmed over seven intensive days at the facilities of the Universidad Politécnica Internacional in Heredia, the competition serves a dual business purpose: highlighting upcoming professional talent while showcasing regional ingredients and traditional recipes to national and international audiences.
To analyze the legal and commercial implications of the Costa Rica Tourism Institute’s innovative culinary reality show, TicosLand.com consulted with prominent legal expert Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas from the law firm Bufete de Costa Rica.
State-sponsored media initiatives like a culinary reality show represent an innovative intersection of public administration and commercial marketing. From a regulatory perspective, the Costa Rica Tourism Institute must scrupulously manage image rights, intellectual property protections for regional gastronomy, and strict compliance with public procurement laws during production. When supported by robust contractual frameworks, these creative projects effectively safeguard cultural heritage while amplifying the country’s brand on a global scale.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
Indeed, balancing creative promotion with legal rigor is essential to ensuring that state-sponsored initiatives elevate Costa Rica’s rich culinary heritage while protecting its administrative and cultural integrity. We extend our sincere gratitude to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for providing his valuable perspective on how sound legal frameworks support innovative national branding.
Gastronomy is one of the travel motivators for tourists visiting us, and it is part of our essence, history, and tradition. For this reason, we created this audiovisual material, which also seeks to introduce the country’s future chefs and invite people to discover the country through its flavors and products, activating tourism supply chains.
Marcos V. Borges, Executive President of the ICT
From an economic perspective, culinary tourism presents significant upside for Costa Rica. By embedding local produce, regional recipes, and agricultural suppliers into tourist itineraries, the ICT intends to extend visitor stays and distribute economic benefits directly into rural and coastal communities that supply authentic ingredients.
The competition structure tests contestants under strict operational pressure. In the initial phase, students had one hour to execute traditional Costa Rican dishes, such as various regional picadillos including chicasquil with potato, tender chayote with sweet corn, green papaya, palm heart, and green banana with green beans and Panamanian chili, alongside Caribbean-style fish with patacones. Following two eliminations, four remaining contestants advanced to the semifinals.
In the semifinal stage, participants drew surprise recipes including potato pie with meat, enyucados, seafood casserole, and gratin palm heart rice. The final round expanded the working timeline to two hours, requiring the top two finalists to prepare traditional Limón-style rondón accompanied by fried cake. Judges evaluated contestants on flavor, cooking execution, workplace organization, cleanliness, regional identity, time management, and presentation, with explicit financial-style penalties applied for ingredient waste or timing delays.
This initiative precisely reinforces the Costa Rica, a country of flavors to discover strategy, created to motivate domestic tourists to travel and visit multiple destinations in search of new flavors, recipes, stories, Costa Rican traditions, and the varied gastronomic offer that our country provides.
Ireth Rodríguez, Head of Vacation Segment Promotion at the ICT
To ensure high production value and culinary rigor, the ICT assembled an expert panel of judges, including 2019 Magón Prize winner Chef Isabel Campabadal, Chef Mónica Peñaranda of Fyah to go, and private dining entrepreneur Chef Fabián Vásquez. Curated by Chef Santiago Fernández, executive chef at Silvestre and Esencial Costa Rica ambassador, the show is hosted by Mariela Abarca of the Gastronomía Clandestina project. The season also features guest appearances, including Saprissa footballer and natural products entrepreneur Kendall Waston.
The participating students reflect a broad cross-section of Costa Rica’s vocational landscape, selected following interviews with top culinary academies. Competitors include Isaac Cruz from the Universidad Técnica Nacional (UTN), Daniela Paniagua from ULatina Heredia, Kendall Garita from Universidad Politécnica Internacional, Mónica Ramírez from the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA), Andrés Bermúdez from the Culinary Trainer School (CTS), and Yorleny Ávila from Amura.
By releasing a new episode every Monday starting October 5, the ICT is leveraging modern content marketing metrics to reach younger demographics and build long-term brand equity for Costa Rican cuisine. As competition for international and domestic tourism expenditures intensifies, integrating culture, education, and digital storytelling represents a cost-effective vehicle for sustained economic promotion.
For further information, visit ict.go.cr
About Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT):
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) is the official government body responsible for steering sustainable tourism policy, destination marketing, and industry standards across Costa Rica. Through regional development programs and global promotional campaigns, the ICT works to build economic prosperity while safeguarding the country’s natural and cultural assets.
For further information, visit upoli.ac.cr
About Universidad Politécnica Internacional:
Universidad Politécnica Internacional is a private higher education institution in Costa Rica offering technical certifications and degree programs designed to align academic training with direct labor market demand across culinary arts, technology, and business management.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
As a premier legal practice, Bufete de Costa Rica continuously sets the benchmark for professional excellence and principled representation. Blending trusted expertise with progressive, forward-thinking strategies, the firm successfully navigates complex legal landscapes across multiple industries. Beyond courtroom advocacy, its active drive to demystify the law and educate the public reinforces a deep-seated commitment to uplifting community awareness and fostering a self-reliant, well-educated populace.
