The Daniel Oduber International Airport changed its image and the name of its commercial brand, in other words, the way it is recognized and promoted internationally. It will no longer be the Liberia Airport. Instead, as of today, it will be called Guanacaste Airport.
The name of the infrastructure, Daniel Oduber Quiros, won’t change. Neither will the official abbreviations of the terminal, LIR and MRLB.
Airports have brands that may or may not coincide with the name of their cities or their structures, for example, Narita Airport, located in the city of Tokyo, Japan, or Gatwick Airport, in London. The same goes for countries, for example the national brand Essential Costa Rica.
The change is aimed at positioning the entire province and its natural and cultural characteristics.
Guanacaste defines a region and is a unique name… It produces a positioning for us of something more complete and bigger,” said Coriport manager Cesar Jaramillo.
The modification is also intended to reduce travelers’ confusion with the African country, Liberia.
The change isn’t just in the name, but also in the image. As of today, the flower that went with the logo is a thing of the past and, instead, a turtle will be what visually represents Guanacaste Airport.
“For our country and our beloved Guanacaste, it represents one of the best examples of sustainability in the world, where the arrival of turtles is managed responsibly and produces wealth for the inhabitants,” said Jaramillo, referring to the community of Ostional.
The turtle is also intended to show the country’s environmental commitment and the kind of tourist that the destination wants to attract, added Jaramillo.
Attract New Travelers
The new brand is designed to attract European travelers mainly since it’s a market that the Guanacaste airport wants to win over. Currently, the main audience for the terminal is Americans, and there are expectations that the Canadian market will resume its flights to the province.
However, from Europe, there’s only one route from the Netherlands, which lands in Alajuela and then Liberia before returning to Amsterdam.
“We’re still missing a lot from Europe, so the name of Guanacaste is something that can strengthen the market.”
To that end, Coriport will also launch an advertising campaign with the name “Why Guanacaste?” to promote the province internationally among passengers and airlines. Within the country, the terminal will position the brand within the airport community and through the Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA- Cámara de Turismo de Guanacaste) with hotels, tour operators and transportation services.
“We have a bright future for Guanacaste and its people,” stressed the president of Vinci Airports, Nicolas Notebaert. “Our goals are the same: for Guanacaste to be a name that is recognized in the world for its beauty, its natural attractions and to become a model for tourism.”
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