The current occupancy rate of 57% can be explained by the increased supply of rooms and the relative decline of San Jose as a business destination.
The increased supply of hotel rooms in the capital is one of the reasons for the low level of occupancy, which as of January stood at 57%. This occurs mainly in hotels that attract business travelers or tourists who spend up to two nights prior to departure.
In 2013 the number of building permits requested for hotel establishments across the country dropped by 62% compared to 2012.
The number of square meters authorized in the last 12 months between February 2013 and January 2014 fell to 47,515 m2 compared with the 126,036 m2 in the previous period, according to the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction.
An appeal against the first stage of the public tender for the construction project will delay the start of works for more than six months.
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has postponed until the second half of 2015 the opening of the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC by its initials in Spanish), because an appeal against the first stage of the tender for construction of the project is delaying the start of work.
In the Pacific port of Costa Rica a cruise ship route has been inaugurated which will cover the Mesoamerican coast and end in Los Angeles, California.
The "Mesoamerican Route" operated by Azamara Club Cruises, a cruise line attached to Royal Caribbean International, starts in Puerto Caldera, ending 14 days later in the U.S.
From a press release from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute:
The 1,875 passengers on the Island Princess had to dodge trucks entering and leaving the docks in Costa Rica.
"It's terrible that we have to walk in between trucks and cargo transportation services," said the Canadian Brenda Seguin to La Nacion. "I have not seen this anywhere else, at least not like this," she reiterated.
In addition to this problem, the pavement which tourists have to walk on is very run down and the place where artisan crafts are sold is made up of makeshift tents under which it is extremely hot.
Half of Canadian tourists and 30% of American ones come to Costa Rica via the Daniel Oduber Airport in Guanacaste.
Six years ago the ratio was 35% of Canadians coming into the country via the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia. This air terminal also has become a favorite of U.S. tourists, as 30% enter through there whereas in 2007 the figure was just 20%.
Among the causes identified are high operating costs and poor terminal infrastructure for tourists.
For the cruise season which begins on October 16 and ends on May 30, 2014 only 60 boats are expected to arrive at the port. Data provided by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), reveals that while in the 2008-09 season 127 cruise ships arrived, in the 2011-12 season only 71 came.
The Costa Rican Institute of Tourism and the private sector are planning for the country's participation in 26 international fairs to be held over the next seven months.
The fairs in which Costa Rica will be able to participate will take place during the season starting in September 2013 and ending in April 2014. According to the chief of Tourism, Allan Flores, "the platform of international trade is an important opportunity to raise awareness, market and present the strengths and tourism capabilities that our destination has."
The new brand image for the country will promote tourism, boost exports and attract investment.
From a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Trade (Comex):
esencial COSTA RICA henceforth will be a national brand that Costa Rica will use officially to present its international image to the world.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade (Comex), the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) and the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (CINDE) revealed the new country brand to be used as a tool for positioning, differentiation and competitiveness of Costa Rica to potential investors, tourists and international buyers of Costa Rican products.
Only three tourist marinas are operating, while several projects are stuck in bureaucratic processes, opposition from environmentalists, and consequent difficulties of financing.
An article in Elfinancierocr.com reviews several stories of failed projects for the development of marinas designed to take advantage of the country's reputation as a destination for sea, beach, and fishing tourism.
The government is negotiating with Peruvian Airlines direct flights between the capital of Peru and San Jose International Airport.
Nacion.com reports that "On 17 May, Avianca announced changes to its services in Costa Rica, a measure that eliminated direct flights to Quito and Guayaquil, in South America, and also to Havana, the Cuban capital. On that occasion, the ICT acknowledged that it would affect, in some way, the arrival of visitors to Costa Rica and that it would negotiate with airlines in order to balance revenue. "
A plan is underway to boost medical hydrology in the north of the country, taking advantage of the tourist infrastructure and natural conditions in the area.
Entrepreneurs from San Carlos, in the northern part of the country, plan to form partnerships "with the medical community and businesses in order to build medical centers and train professionals in the health industry, said Lorena Herrera, businesswoman and team president", reported Elfinancierocr.com.
Properties belonging to 130 tourism businesses are at risk of foreclosure because they have not been able to make loan repayments.
On 16 August many small businesses could lose their properties due to non-payment of the loans they hold with financial institutions.
In order to prevent the auction of their properties, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the field of tourism met with the Minister of the Presidency, Carlos Ricardo Benavides and the chief of Tourism, Allan Flores.
Progress is being made on an agreement for freedoms of the air to boost tourism between the two countries by increasing air links.
A Costa Rican delegation composed of the chief of Tourism, Allan Flores and Ana Cristina Jenkins, Deputy Minister of Transport is currently visiting the Asian nation negotiating the agreement.
"There has been a lot of hard work done between the aviations bodies of each country, we have had discussions with airlines to stimulate interested in the route and in April a delegation of Costa Rica tourism entrepreneurs was in China," said Costa Rica's ambassador in Beijing, Marco Vinicio Ruiz.