Central American tourism was brought to its knees by the economic crisis and the A H1N1 virus, and is having a rough time getting back on feet.
All the countries of the region have suffered with less tourists and less revenue, in addition to lower quality tourists with reduced purchasing power. Visitors stay for less time than before, and spend less per capita and per day.
Costa Rica is going through the consequences of the international crisis in its main industry, tourism, being that it received 83 thousand less visitors than during same period in 2008.
By country, the decline in the number of tourist arrivals from the United States is the most important, and this is significant since tourists from the north are usually 54% of the total.
From September 2008 to February 2009, Costa Rica received 82 thousand less tourists than during the same period the previous year.
The aggregate of tourists for the country’s two international airports for the semester ending in February 2009 was 885 thousand, 8% lower than the figure of 967 thousand recorded during the same period in 2008.
The nacion.com website published: "Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of Tourism, said that the situation 'did not take us by surprise nor were we sleeping.' He added that a budget of $20 million for promotion was prepared this year for this very reason."