From May 9 to 10 in Costa Rica Expotur 2019 will be held at the National Convention Center, which will bring together 230 international buyers from the tourism sector from 35 countries.
Erasmo Rojas, president of the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (Acoprot), explained to Nacion.com that "... The activity consists of two days of negotiations and alliances that allow revitalize the tourist offer each year and generate millions of dollars in tourist currency for accommodations, food and transportation."
Sun Country Airlines has announced that between December and March 2019 it will increase the number of frequencies it operates between the US city and the Guanacaste airport in Costa Rica from 38 to 53.
The 53 flights that the US airline will operate during the peak tourist season will be distributed as follows: 6 in December of this year, 14 in January, 15 in February and 18 in March 2019.
The administrator of the new convention center in Costa Rica plans to start operations in April, and in the next four years it is expected that 60 congresses will be organized, which will generate $180 million.
Nacion.com reports that "...The Colombian consortium, Heroica-Volio Trejos, is fine-tuning details such as the hiring of employees, the reception of the list of activities already sold by the ICT and some logistics adjustments in the building, in order to realise the opening of the National Congress and Conventions Center (CNCC by its initials in Spanish)."
Between July 2016 and June this year income generated by foreign travel to the country exceeded $4 billion.
The Balance of Payments figures for the second quarter of the year published by the Central Bank also "...reflects an increase in direct investment in tourism.In the first half of this year alone the figure reached $318 million, almost six times more than in the first half of the previous year."
In Costa Rica the new convention center, still under construction, is missing out on opportunities to promote itself overseas due to a delay in the tender to hire a company to manage it.
Companies in the tourism sector state that most major events and congresses are negotiated up to two years in advance, and because the convention center does not have an management company to set rental rates for the site and other aspects, the possibilities for promoting it abroad are reduced.
With the arrival of new airlines a further increase is expected in the flow of tourists from Europe, after having grown by 41% between 2010 and 2015.
European tourists stay on average 17 days in the country and spend an average of $1660 during their stay, higher than the figures for the overall average, which are 13 days and $1351.
The construction companies Van Der Laat y Jimenez, Estructuras, S.A., and Edica, submitted bids to build and equip a new convention center in Costa Rica.
JetBlue announced the addition of a second weekly flight from Boston and Apple Vacations will incorporate the Liberia Missouri-Saint Louis route, which will be operated by XTRAirways.
JetBlue will operate its second flight on Sunday in a A320 aircraft with capacity for 150 passengers, starting in January and to be maintained throughout the season. Meanwhile XTRAirways will use a Boeing 737-400 with capacity for 150 people, operating from March 18 this year to August 5, 2016.
A terminal for domestic flights and a new fire station are part of the works that the administration of San Jose International Airport plans to start in November.
This project includes two ramps for aircraft waiting at the new domestic terminal and a fire station in in the southern sector, and it is expected that construction will start in November this year.The investment for these two works to be carried out simultaneously amounts to $20 million and is expected to be completed during 2016.
The tourism minister has ruled out the possibility of building a new airport, arguing that the current one has sufficient capacity and there is a more urgent need for improving and expanding the one in Liberia.
Remodeling the Daniel Oduber Airport in Guanacaste is the option which the tourism minister, Wilhelm von Breymann has proposed, since the construction of a new terminal is not a priority and would involve a long process of preparing feasibility studies.
As of December 12th United Airlines will add a fifth direct frequency between San Jose and the George Bush International Airport in Houston.
From a statement issued by United Airlines:
United Airlines has announced it will increase the frequency of nonstop flights between San José, Costa Rica and its hubs in Houston, George Bush International Airport as of December 12, 2014.
Businessmen are complaining that investments in international promotion amount to less than a third of what Panama spends, resulting in the country losing competitiveness as a destination in the region.
The 2015 budget for investment in official tourism promotion is $18 million, which industry representatives say is not enough if you expect tourism flows to keep up a good pace.
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