In the 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala fell back in the ranking, while the Dominican Republic was the only country that improved.
According to the report prepared by the World Economic Forum, during 2019 Costa Rica ranked 41 out of 140 countries. It was followed by Panama at box 47, the Dominican Republic at 73, Nicaragua at 91, Honduras at 94, Guatemala at 99 and El Salvador at 108.
At the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, touristic companies in Nicaragua were reporting a good performance, but the political situation in the country has generated a crisis that is still unsolved.
In 2017, tourism generated $840 million in revenue for the Nicaraguan economy, 31% more than in 2016, growth that improved the companies' expectations at the beginning of the year, since in the first quarter of 2018 the forecasts were that by the end of this year revenues could reach $900 million.
The average european tourist plans trips less than a year in advance and searches and books tour packages via the internet, without using intermediaries.
A study by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute to identify best prospectsfound that"... generally Europeans decide on their holiday destination less than a year in advance and in most cases organize their trips independently i.e., without using intermediaries. It was also found that the most used methods of finding information include recommendations from friends, search engines and online travel agencies and websites promoting the destinations.
In 2013 the isthmus received 4.2% more tourists than in 2012, whereas global tourism traffic grew by 5%.
The visible recovery of the tourism industry in Central America is not as strong as in the rest of the world.
In the latest data on the tourism sector in 2013 presented by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Central America appears below the average percentage of worldwide tourism growth, with 4.2%.
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".
Despite the downturn in the major economies, more and more tourists traveling the globe are looking for the kind of experiences that Central America has to offer.
The opportunities are there. Demand for tourist destinations such as the ones Central America can offer is firm and is increasing every year.
What is essential is that the quality of tourism services on offer be increased, particularly ensuring that tourists are not affected by the criminal violence that pervades the region.
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