If your work is related to the river industry at all or even other adventure tourism activities, then we invite you to join us in Costa Rica to engage in dynamic discussions and exchange ideas with a vibrant and forward-thinking community of adventure travel professionals. Come build relationships, meet new colleagues, reconnect with old friends, access cutting-edge professional development, and join together to make the rafting industry worldwide even stronger and safer.
Where and when:
Over 250 participants from more than 25 nations will come together in this inaugural World White Water Rafting Summit to be held in iconic and tropical Costa Rica from 8 to 13 October 2019.
Hosts:
The event is presented by the Costa Rican Tourism Board and organised by the International Rafting Federation (IRF) and the Costa Rica Sports Association for Adventure and Paddling (ADAR)
Aim:
Building safety foundations in the extreme adventure travel and sports industries, centering around “managing risk for a prosperous future”.
Workshops, speakers and topics:
Specialists from around the world will lead engaging and interactive workshops in thought-provoking topics such as:
- advances in raft guide certifications
- latest in river rescue techniques
- management of environmental risks occurring in the many varying rivers we work in
- first aid and emergency management in remote wilderness areas
- managing drug and alcohol use and abuse in outdoor activities
- working with language barriers and engage in non-verbal communications
- IRF Workshop certifying Level 3 Guides, Trip Leaders and Instructors
Latest schedule can be found here
- 8 to 10 Oct: Summit workshops and activities will take place at the Costa Rica Convention Center in San Jose.
- 11 Oct: Participants will join in a “One River, One World, One Family” friendship rafting trip on the Pacuare River.
- 12 to 13 Oct: for those interested – IRF GTE Trip Leader and Instructors’ workshop and certification courses at the Pacuare in the community of Mollejones by Turrialba. Full details can be found here
Who should attend:
- Company owners and operations managers who are interested in the workshop topics.
- Tourism Board leaders who wish to reach for international best practise for the adventure tourism, and specifically rafting, that they offer in their regions
- Government organisation leaders who wish to improve the quality of the adventure tourism industry on offer in their countries
- Raft guides who wish to be certified as IRF GTE Trip Leaders
- Trip Leaders who wish to become IRF GTE Instructors
- The summit has a strong focus on water-based activities but encourages participants from other adventure tourism and sport agencies to attend to ensure the sharing of experiences and knowledge is well-rounded.
Costa Rica was chosen as the site for the inaugural World White Water Rafting Summit because the country is following a model of cooperation between the government and the private sector for the certification of guides and rafting companies. Additionally, Costa Rica is renowned internationally for its beautiful rafting rivers.
One River, One World, One Family
#RaftersAreAwesome #AreYouReady #RiverFamily
