· Twenty three years of experience supports his leadership in regional business of a transnational tour operation of world renown.

His career in tourism has provided Mario Socatelli with business recognition that has lead him to hold a position on the Board of Directors of the transnational travel company Gray Line Corporation Worldwide as well as the 2001 and 2003 award for Executive of the Year, bestowed by that company.
While initially studying informatics, Mario is today a leader in the travel business of Central America, representing Gray Line Tours and the Spanish carrier Air Madrid as its Regional General Director.

He took his first steps in the business world upon graduation in Business Administration and later complemented his studies in Airline Operations as wells as a post graduate degree in Tourism Marketing, Strategic Planning and Ecotourism at Cornell University in New York and Banff, Alberta Canada.

This academic background gave him the opportunity to manage airlines, hotels, travel agencies and tour operators; as well as his participation in diverse business organizations.

Socatelli has been an active member of the Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters, and the Costa Rican Association of Travel Agencies; he has held important positions with the National Chamber of Tourism of Costa Rica and participates actively in the Regulating Commission of Tourism for Costa Rica.

His experience and professionalism throughout 23 years have also lead to publish various tourism articles and as an independent consultant for various travel companies both in and out of Costa Rica. Mario has also played a role as speaker / professor in diverse seminars and conferences both domestically as well as internationally.

President of his own company Intermark, he also provides consultancy in Strategic Planning and Tourism Marketing.

As director for Gray Line, his principal goal has been the maximization of integration efforts of the nations of Central America in the attraction of tourism to the region. He has therefore expanded operations from Costa Rica to the region acquiring rights of operation in all countries of Central America.

Having consolidated operations in Costa Rica, he opened an office in Panama and later Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and more recently in El Salvador and Belize.

The marketing of these destinations has now become a unified concept with multi destination programs and services catering especially to long haul markets with greater potential and the development of new markets.

Socatelli believes that Gray Line’s leadership in Central America reflects spirt of an operation that handles 150 thousand visitors per year; which also guarantees the most competitive rates of the marketplace.

“Gray Line Tours is synonymous with professionalism, responsibility, 24 hour service, dynamic operational procedures, excellent product lines, creative sales policies and guaranteed satisfaction”, declares Socatelli.

For Mario, these characteristics result in first class service for their clients without differentiation of country or countries visited in the region, and this premise makes him extremely proud to head these operations.