Central America is in the lead with a 34% average price growth of hotel reservations recorded in the region, while in North America it was 18% and in South America 14%.
From the Transhotel-HOSTELTUR Barometer published by Hosteltur:
The average price of hotel reservations in America during the first quarter of this year was $680, representing an increase of 20% according to the first edition of "Transhotel-HOSTELTUR".
Macro figures for tourism in Costa Rica have already exceed those of the years before the global crisis of 2009, but the results obtained by operators are low.
During 2012, tourists who came to Costa Rica spent $2.425 billion, 34% more than in 2009, but the increase in income has not generated higher profits for the tourism sector.
For example, Miguel Zamora, owner of Hotel Cerro Chato Eco Lodge, in La Fortuna, San Carlos, said that although most tourists now come with increased spending power there are factors preventing the situation from making a profit for them.
In Costa Rica the current methods for keeping records about the number of tourist arrivals are inefficient, with differences in numbers of up to half a million.
Professionals in the tourism sector believe it is essential to incorporate new tools in order to generate more reliable data regarding the entry of tourists into the country.
One such tool developed by the United Nations and used by several countries are satellite accounts.