Due to the outbreak of covid-19 worldwide and restrictions on passenger transportation, only 1.01 million visitors arrived in the country during 2020, 68% less than what was reported in 2019, when 3.14 million tourists arrived.
Although the fall in tourist arrivals was generally resounding, during the last months of 2020 a more favorable behavior was reported.
In the last decade, the number of hotel rooms in Costa Rica has increased at a 4% average annual rate, and in 2018 Guanacaste was the area that concentrated a quarter of the hotel offer, monopolizing about 26% of the total.
Figures from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) detail that between 2008 and 2018 the number of rooms dedicated to lodging increased by 15,474, from 41,759 to 57,233.
During the first half of the year, 1.73 million visitors arrived in Costa Rica, a figure 3.9% higher than that reported in the same period in 2018, behavior that is explained by the rise in the arrival of tourists from North America.
Figures from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute specify that only during June of this year, the arrival of 249 thousand visitors was registered, 11% more than those reported in the same month of 2018.
In the first quarter of the year the number of tourists who flew the US grew 6% compared to the same period in 2017.
After a period of uncertainty, the flow of American tourists has once again registered an increase in the first three months of the year.Specifically, 21,337 more Americans came into the country than between January and March of 2017.
Between January and August, tourists' arrivals grew by only 1.3% compared to the same period in 2016, mainly due to a 3.4% reduction in the arrival of Americans.
While the Minister of Tourism attributes the reduced tourists arrivals to a change of government in the United States, private entrepreneurs think that part of the decrease is due to a reduction in the supply of seats on flights from US cities to Costa Rica.
The number of international arrivals to the country last year grew by 10% compared to 2015, reaching a record 2.9 million visitors.
During the year 2,925,128 international arrivals to the country were reported, and over 70% came in by air, which represents the main means of entry.2016 showed growth of 13.8%; in other words, almost 260 thousand more arrivals than in 2015.
In 2016 1,182,123 tourists used the Daniel Oduber airport, 33% more than in 2015, generating an average per capita expenditure of $130 per day.
According to estimates by Coriport, the airport management company,"... from Fridays to Mondays the Daniel Oduber airport receives between 30 and 33 flights per day, while between Tuesdays and Thursdays at least 18 arrive there. On average those passengers stay in Costa Rica for nine days and spend about $130 per day."
In Costa Rica between 2010 and 2015, the proportion of tourists staying in rented homes instead of hotels increased from 4% to 11%.
Of the more than 9.6 million tourists who visited Costa Rica in the last five years, almost 700 thousand claimed to have stayed in rented homes using platforms such as Airbnb or Homeaway, instead of hotels.Figures compiled by Nacion.com indicate that the greatest trend was seen in the province of Guanacaste, specifically among tourists coming into the country through the Daniel Oduber airport.
In the first half of the year the number of international arrivals to the country grew by 12% compared to the same period in 2015.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute:
During the first half of 2016, Costa Rica registered significant growth in international arrivals. Seven out of 10 people who visit us do so by air, which represents the main port of entry,which recorded an increase of 16.8% from January to Junecompared to the first half of 2015, according to data provided by the General Directorate of Migration (DGME) and analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
In the first half of the year 1.4 million tourists visted the country, only 1.7% more than in the same period in 2014.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT):
In the first six months of the year, our country received 1,415,046 international arrivals; that is, more than 23,429 tourists entered through all ports, according to data provided by the Directorate General of Immigration (DGME) and analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
Almost 70% of international arrivals by air corresponded to North American visitors, followed by Europe with 16.5% and South America with 6.9%.
From a statement issued by the Government of Costa Rica:
2014 was a momentous year for the tourism industry, in which all historical records of the country in tourism were exceeded . This is demonstrated by the data provided by the General Department of Immigration (DGME) which has been analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).