Tag: Tourism

Costa Rica welcomes nearly a million tourists in the first months of 2023.

The tico’s visitation numbers are now virtually on par with their pre-pandemic showings.

What in many countries could be seen as merely another number in a boring government quarterly notice, in Costa Rica becomes a very important barometer of the nation’s wellbeing. Since the Costa Rican central industry is services and tourism, the visitation numbers from each quarter are essential to not only identify current trends, but also project the rest of the year from an economic perspective. 

The most recent report from Costa Rica’s Tourism Institute (ICT, for its Spanish acronym) shows that the country received 968,000 tourists in the first 4 months of 2023. This number nearly equals the 974,000 of 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

As surprise to none, the United States continues to be the main market demographic for the ticos, with a whopping 536,000 visitors, actually surpassing data from 2019. After the US, the next main influx of tourists comes from France, surprisingly Europe’s top market, and other Old World nations like the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada for North America. Additionally, Peru and Chili are the main Latin American countries sending tourists to Costa Rica.

All of the aforementioned countries have increased their visitation numbers from 2019, with only other Latin American countries like Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico representing a decrease. The increase in direct flight offerings both to the Juan Santamaria Airport and the Guanacaste Airport in Liberia have been an important factor linked to the country’s current upwards trend. The growth of Guanacaste’s Airport in particular has diversified routes and provided tourists with an even more appealing and direct way of reaching the most popular tico destinations in the Gold Coast. This quadrimester, that meant 315,000 international arrivals, nearly a 16% increase from 2019.

As Costa Rica’s tourism infrastructure continues to develop, and more and more world-class investments come to the country, the comforts and conveniences offered to international visitors will only grow, meaning there still room to grow in the future from what’s an already strong showing, even by the high standards of the country’s high season during the summer months.

2CRVR Leave a comment on Costa Rica welcomes nearly a million tourists in the first months of 2023. Costa Rica, Places To Visit, Tourism Tags ,

British readers name Costa Rica the world’s best emerging destination

The annual Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards poll all the newspapers’ readership to select their favorite vacation settings.

From all of the world’s destinations, 270,000 people agree that Costa Rica is the best the planet has to offer. At least these were the results of the ninth edition of the Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards, where the small Central American nation was selected as the best emerging destination.

The 270,000 votes received were all from readers of the iconic British newspaper, and it included 12 categories and 120 different destinations. The rationale behind Costa Rica’s placing was the country’s well-documented commitment to sustainability, its myriad of potential outdoor activities, and the evergreen allure of the “pura vida” lifestyle. From its impressive collection of volcanoes and expansive rainforest ranges, to the most stunning tropical beaches and bustling biodiversity, Costa Rica really is its own world of wonders. The sheer diversity within the country’s relatively small area offers tourists a compact gateway towards unlimited adventure and relaxation.

The magazine readers also recommended some of the country’s best destinations, where national parks like Manuel Antonio, Corcovado and Tortuguero were all featured, as well as the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife refuge and the impressive setting that is Playa Conchal.

It comes as no surprise that so many British people favor Costa Rica’s enthralling natural beauty, since the United Kingdom is the country that sends most tourists to Costa Rica from all of those beyond the Atlantic, a number that will surely increase after such glowing recommendations

2CRVR Awards, Britain, Costa Rica Tags , ,

The US Travel Alert for Costa Rica goes back to a pre-pandemic level

The country’s stabilization in terms of Covid-19 means more tourism is soon to be expected from the country’s biggest market. 

The initial waves of the Covid-19 pandemic shook by storm the tourism and services industry. In the blink of an eye, staying inside and avoiding travel became a sanitary need, and the whole world was put on hold for a couple of months. With a better grasp of how the virus behaves, and the widespread accessibility of tools for its detection and avoidance, most industries have slowly come back to where they once were, and in some cases, the new trends that came with the pandemic actually helped establish a more effervescent growth. 

Such is the case for travel in Costa Rica, which with the advent of digital nomads and the newfound excitement for international travel has come back with historic numbers. Just recently, The U.S. Department of State has brought even more good news for the service industry. 

During the worst part of the Covid-19 pandemic, this governmental organ instated a travel advisory of level 4 alert for most countries where the virus was running rampant. That meant the highest degree of caution was recommended, and travel was not encouraged. For many years, the United States has represented the most important market for tourism in Costa Rica, and even if things were stabilizing in recent months, that level of prevention meant a hiccup for an economy seeking reactivation after some harsh years. But things are changing for the better. 

The U.S. Department of State has just reinstated Costa Rica’s level to 2 out of 4, meaning it’s now back to the level the country was before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to data for the first quarter of the year that was disclosed by the tourism sector, in which nearly 80% of the visitation numbers from pre-pandemic times were achieved, things look encouraging for Costa Rica’s main economic activity. 

2CRVR Costa Rica, Costa Rica Trip Tags , , , , ,