Tourists on their way to beaches, volcanoes, national parks and other popular Costa Rican attractions will have new road signs to help them find their destinations, thanks to a joint project by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The ¢300 million ($582,524) project will put 1,300 new signs along national roads to point drivers to service stations, airports, ports, ferries, beaches, national parks and other frequently visited spots. Part of these funds will be used by ICT to buy materials for the signs, and MOPT will use the rest to design and install them.

The new signs indicating hotels, parks, surf breaks and other attractions will be brown to help distinguish them from the often-outdated green signs now decorating the countries highways. Others, in blue, will assist tourists in locating hospitals, airports, and ferry and bus terminals.

These signs will comply with Central American norms and will indicate the direction, route number and distance to each location indicated. MOPT will also work with ICT to take down signs that contradict the new signs, the statement said

During a press conference yesterday, Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides said the project is absolutely essential to a country so dependent on tourism.

“No longer can we have tourists getting lost on their way to our beaches and parks. People who visit this country must be able to get to their destinations safely, and on their own,” Benavides said.

The new signs will be posted throughout the northwestern Guanacaste province, along the Pacific coast, from San José to the Caribbean port city of Limón and around the Caribbean province, according to a statement from ICT and MOPT.