Hotel entrepreneurs in Costa Rica attribute the decline in occupancy rates to a lesser flow of US tourists visiting the country, which in the first half fell by 2%.
According to the results of an occupancy survey carried out by the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels among its affiliates, hotel occupancy fell by 5% in June compared to the same month in 2016, and projections for the coming months are not very flattering.
Tour operators are asking for the airport to be opened 24 hours a day, but state institutions operating in the terminal say they do not have enough staff to do so.
The International Airport in Liberia, one of the most important tourist areas in Costa Rica, has the capacity to receive "... 1,500 people per hour, but ... is only getting 800," because it operates 16 hours a day , rather than the full day, as requested by tourism and aviation businesses..
Six new hotels will be opening in the province of Guanacaste between late 2013 and mid-2014.
An article in Nacion.com reports that "a report commissioned by this newspaper with the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) determined that, as expected, four major projects will be opening in Guanacaste starting from the end of this year,."
It is expected that December this year will see the opening of the hotels Vista del Mar, with 58 rooms, and Andaz Papagayo in Liberia, with 153 rooms. By July of 2014 it is expected that the Meliá Papagayo, with 379 rooms, will open in the Canton of Carrillo. In November 2014 Dreams Las Mareas will open in Salinas, which is a hotel with 447 rooms.
Tourism businesses in the province of Guanacaste have requested more action from the country's government.
The requests from the Guanacastean Tourism Association (Caturga in Spanish) include greater international promotion and the creation of a seasonal financial support plan for companies.
As of August 2010, tourist numbers were up on 2008 and 2009 but the visitor profile is different with lower average spending, according to Prensalibre.cr.
In 2009, the arrival of international tourists dropped 9%, while domestic ones 15%. 2010 should be better.
The recovery will only be felt in the second half of the year, even though since November 2009 most statistics are showing a trend shift from negative to positive.
An article in Elfinancierocr.com analyzes the subject, with opinions from tourism entrepreneurs and institutions.
Tourism projects in the northern province of Guanacaste have diminished 92% since December 2008.
This steep drop was reported by Mauricio Céspedes, director of the Tourism Chamber of Guanacaste, who added that of all the scheduled projects, only one was developed, a hotel complex by Spanish group Rui.
So far 2009, builders have requested permits for 8.633 square meters, a mere 6.3% of the 137.330 square meters requested in 2008.
Companies from the province of Guanacaste will hold a job fair next month to try and fill 3,000 positions.
Agro-Industrial companies from the sugar, livestock and agriculture sectors are offering the most positions (1,300). Additionally there are another 1200 jobs at hotels, restaurants, and car rentals.
The event will be held on October 4 and 5 at the Liberia Centro Plaza from 10 am to 6 pm.
Tamarindo wants to eliminate from the minds of tourists, investors and locals its image of being a disorderly district. To make up for its past errors it's putting in place a plan to develop its infrastructure over the next 15 years.
Area businessmen, hotel owners, the Guanacasteca Tourism Chamber, and the company Consultores Urbanos are working out a diagnostic plan for the local infrastructure.