During our last beach trip before we started this project, we realized that we “run out of beaches”. I’m not saying Costa Rica run out of beaches, but us. After so many beach tours, we just stopped to think how we could really get to know our county. That’s how GOPlaya.cr started; two good friends from childhood who wanted to explore new places, visit them and then let everybody know the experience they lived. So everybody can feel as proud as we feel of Costa Rica.
We went through this country for around one year from coast to coast so that we could create the most integral beach database in Costa Rica. We got more than 200 beaches with specific information we filled out in a form we created too. We took pictures and videos of these beaches, and off course we spent time with locals. These people became our best tour guides to get to the most unspoiled and wild beaches in Costa Rica.
We realized that each beach represents a small community. Visiting these beaches not only will be satisfactory for you, but also becomes an opportunity to help these communities to generate jobs.
That’s why we like our hashtag #ShareCostaRica. It represents the way we share all the good things we have; amazing beaches, flora and fauna, national parks and our friendly people.
Then we started to put together all of our ideas in a website. Our main goal is to be YOUR best tool to discover Costa Rica.
We want you to know what the road conditions are, what the sand color is, where you can experience the turtles spawning or whales jumping a few meters from your boat.
At the end of the day, everything is about living the whole experience.
We thank you in advance for sharing Costa Rica!
Founders:
Carlos Alpízar A
Business Administrator and beach sunset lover. He likes family trips and definitely he is a dog lover. He is leading Financial and Legal areas of GOPlaya and mainly focus on mid-term projects.
José Pablo Alfaro R.
Journalist and nature lover. He likes boat trips, walking through trails and living natural experiences. He loves dolphins and sea turtles. He leads the Content generation and Marketing strategy of GOPlaya.cr.
Contact: [email protected]
Mission:
Share with resident and not resident tourists a digital platform that let them know for free beaches in Costa Rica, their exact location, features and activities they can do.
Vision:
Contribute to the economic and social development of beach communities in Costa Rica through a digital platform that drives beach tourism.
Core Values:
Innovation: GOPlaya.cr is the first digital platform which provides general and specific information that helps tourists to know and visit beaches in Costa Rica. Our commitment is to keep innovation up by offering new products that fit tourists needs.
Social Responsibility: GOPlaya adopted the “Share Costa Rica” culture. Our intention is to show nature beauties Costa Rica offers, so they can be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone, with no ethnic nor gender distinction.
Awards:
GOPlaya was awarded in 2017 the Originality prize of the World Travel Journalism Organization. Our project competed with platforms from all over the world.
Alliances:
Booking. com: At GOPlaya.cr you can book your favorite hotel and find available accommodations near the beaches you want to visit. Thanks to our agreement with Booking.com, the world’s leading booking platform, GOPlaya.cr allows you to choose your favorite hotel. Our premise is that travelers can choose their favorite beach first and then choose the lodging that best suits their needs.
Adobe Rent a Car: Book your car at GOPlaya.cr thanks to our agreement with Adobe Rent a Car. If you book from our platform, you will receive eight different benefits and a 10% discount.
Latin American Sea Turtles (Last): GOPlaya.cr donates a portion of its net profits for turtle conservation in Costa Rica by creating an agreement with the Non-Governmental Organization, Latin American Sea Turtles (Last). One of our objectives is that natural experiences boost communities’ development, which at the same time will ensure that communities consider the protection of marine species to be of vital importance.
National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur): GOPlaya.cr is affiliated to the National Chamber of Tourism. We consider it very important for Costa Rica that there is a chamber to help develop and oversee the country’s tourism companies, so that travel experience of domestic and foreign tourists can be guaranteed.
Impact Hub: Our company is part of the Impact Hub social entrepreneurship program. It is essential for GOPlaya.cr to complete this program in 2018, so that we can obtain the necessary tools for the company to generate a positive impact that helps communities and the environment.
Essence:
Beach explorer: The beach explorer allows tourists to choose their favorite beach according to their tastes or preferences. In each of the places we visit (more than 200 beach spots across Costa Rica) we fill out a form with very specific information, such as sand color, type of waves, access routes, road conditions and natural experiences that you will find in each destination. This allows tourists to filter destinations based on the activities they want to do in the country. We include additional information on four experiences: turtles, whales and dolphins, conservation areas (protected areas) and surfing. On the beaches that offer these experiences you will find a green icon that stands out. By clicking on this link, you will get more information about this activity in the area.
Create your route: Put your beach tour together in three simple steps: Step 1: Choose the beach you want to visit. Step 2: Choose the beaches characteristics you would like to visit. Step 3: Choose the range of kilometers you are willing to travel from the beach you chose in step 1. Set up your beach route and discover new destinations.
Blog: If you are looking for authentic experiences, don’t miss out on reading “El Baqueano”. Every beach has stories to tell and we want you to live them with us.
GOPlaya in the Media:
The Costa Rica Star: GOPlaya Website Provides Information on 206 Costa Rica Beaches
The Costa Rican Times: GOPlaya – Discovering Costa Rica’s Beaches
La Nación: Sitio web de playas se deja premio internacional de turismo
Revista Dominical: Las costas más ricas: guía de algunos secretos playeros de nuestro país
El Financiero: Sitio web le muestra lo que necesita saber de 206 playas de Costa Rica
Prensa Libre: Sitio web le promete llevarlo a las mejores playas según sus gustos
Repretel: Nueva página para escoger playa
Teletica: Nuevo sitio web le permitirá conocer en detalle 200 playas del país
Collaborations:
Perfil Magazine: We write articles relating beach destinations for Perfil Magazine.
959 radio: Working together with 959 radio, we do a micro-radio with information about beaches in Costa Rica. This program is broadcasted every Friday at “Solarium” radio program.
