After nearly 100,000 Mexican tourists visited Costa Rica in 2018, this year the authorities plan to intensify the country's promotion in Mexico's main cities.
According to the latest estimates, this year about 508,000 Mexicans would be considering vacationing in Costa Rica.
Greater air connectivity is one of the factors that explains the increase in income generated from tourism activities in the first quarter in Costa Rica, when $1.182 billion was reported.
The travel category, in the exports section of the Balance of Payments, is composed mostly of the expense of foreigners who arrive for holiday trips, and the increase reported in the first quarter, which is the high season, is attributed to good promotion of the country and better air connectivity.
This year Costa Rica will focus on consolidating itself as a global destination, of a potential market of approximately 9 million tourists.
Global promotion to position Costa Rica as a destination will begin in 2018. According to data from the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT), the average tourist who visits the country spends 18 nights and spends $3,200, and in addition, prefers small lodgings, local food and crafts.
The company's proposal states that in just two months it could start making tax
payments, putting to the test the responsiveness of bureaucracy against the speed of the real economy.
Airbnb, one of the leading global companies that is taking advantage of the momentum that the technological revolution has provided to the collaborative economy, has now created a housingsupply available for seasonal rental in Costa Rica which is equivalent to 18% of the supply of hotels.
A new official Ironman race will be held in Playa del Coco, Guanacaste, on June 18, 2017.
From a statement issued by the ICT:
SAN JOSE, CR / TAMPA Fla (June 16, 2016) -. IRONMAN today announced the addition of a new official race in Central America, Ironman 70.3® Costa Rica.The inaugural event will take place on Sunday June 18, 2017, in Playa del Coco, Guanacaste, located on the Pacific Coast.
Although it is facing 2015 with optimism, Costa Rica knows that it is facing strong growth in competition from regional neighbors as a tourist destination.
Costa Rica has begun to lose its comparative advantage which it has held for many years over the rest of the region in attracting tourists. The strong competition from destinations such as Nicaragua and Panama is now creating some difficulties for the tourism industry, in whose view the country is not investing enough in promotion compared to its competitors.
In the next National Congress on Tourism a proposal will be made to define a new vision based on real differentiation axles, chains of products, international positioning, environmental excellence, and human talent.
From a statement issued by the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR):
In the framework of the XVIII National Congress of Tourism it is expected that CANATUR will formulate a New Vision for Tourism in Costa Rica
Go Blue Central America is an interactive map to share with the rest of the world the uniquiness and authenticity of the marine and coastal areas of Central America.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Geographic (NatGeo) presented "Go Blue Central America", an interactive map on the internet designed to promote tourism in the Isthmus.
During 2010, tourism revenues were $7,341 million, of which $2552 were generated in Panama, $1961in Costa Rica, $1378 in Guatemala, $650 in Honduras , $518 in El Salvador, and $281 in Nicaragua, .
According to a preliminary report by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITC in Spanish), tourism revenues in the region grew by 0.9% compared to 2009 and the number of visitors increased by 3.8%.