From November 7 to 11, Costa Rican entrepreneurs from the tourism sector will visit Denmark, Sweden and Holland, where seminars will be held and seek to create connections with local tourism agents.
The business tour is organized by Futuropa Group Association and according to the schedule of activities will visit Denmark on November 7, Sweden on the 8th and Holland on the 11th of the same month.
The construction of the road to Monteverde in Costa Rica, which has been postponed for years and that in the coming weeks would publish the tender documents, promises to further enhance tourism in the sector.
This is not the first attempt by a government to develop this important road project.
Last year, 2,48 million tourists arrived in the country, spending $4.605 million, 3.3% more than in 2017.
Figures from the Statistics Department of the PanamaTourism Authority (ATP), specify that the average time a tourist stays in the country is approximately 8 days and spends on average a total of $1,856, which is equivalent to $232 per day, expenses include accommodation, shopping, food, internal transportation, entertainment, visits to historic tourist sites within and outside the capital city.
Germany recommends German tourists to be cautious when travelling to the Central American country, mainly because of the general strike that has caused road blocks.
The German Information Center for Latin America informed its travelers that because a nationwide general strike continues in Costa Rica, there are restrictions on the public sector and road blocks in and around the capital, San Jose. There are also considerable delays in access to the San José International Airport. Meanwhile, security forces are acting against road blocks and violent conflicts cannot be ignored.
From January to August of this year the country recorded the arrival of 4.6 million tourists, 6% more than was reported in the same period in 2017.
According to figures from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the arrival of non-resident visitors registered a total of 4,644,049 travelers who came into the country during the January-August period in 2018, giving an increase of 243,925 additional travelers, and a year-on-year growth of 5.5% with respect to to the same period in 2017.
Between the first quarter of 2017 and the same period in 2018, the number of visitors that arrived in the country registered a slight decrease of 1.4%, but the overall expenditure made by them increased by 2.7%.
According to sector's figures, between the first quarter of 2017 and the same period of this year the number of tourists fell from 734,000 to 723,000, and the currencies received registered a slight increase, going from $302 million to $310 million.
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.
Through an agreement with KLM, tourists from the Netherlands who usually only pass through the country to connect with other destinations will be encouraged to stay in Panama.
Currently the Air France-KLM group offers daily flights between Panama and Amsterdam and 6 weekly flights between Panama and Paris. From Panama KLM serves 27 destinations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Last year almost 228,000 visitors from Europe came to the country, 8% more than the figure recorded in 2016.
The European airlines that increased passenger revenue in 2017 were: Iberia, with a total of 69,381 passengers, some 9,501 more than in 2016, with a growth of 15.9%; and KLM, with a total of 55,519 passengers, about 2,044 more than in 2016, an increase of 3.8%.
The union of tourism entrepreneurs estimates that the country will receive 1.9 million tourists, and they expect the activity to generate close to $830 million.
Combining efforts on promotion and marketing in order to attract more tourists from South American countries is one of the goals proposed by the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur).Figures from the trade union indicate that the average daily expenditure of South American tourists exceeds the general average.
Between January and September of this year, 47,826 passengers from the English market came into the country, 9% more than in the same period in 2016.
So far this year the English market has gained ground, positioning itself as the largest generator of tourists from the European continent, accounting for 47,826 international arrivals (from January to September), registering a growth of 9.1% over the same period last year.
A new measure imposed by Nicaraguan immigration authorities requires foreigners who intend to enter the country to file a "notice of entry" seven days in advance.
The Nicaraguan business sector, particularly companies working in the tourism industry, regret the government's decision to implement this measure. The only thing it does is to discourage the entry of foreigners, who in their vast majority come to the country to take part in tourist activities.Complaints have arisen from El Salvador and other nations about the difficulties of this new measure, especially from tour operators and tourist companies that manage trips to Nicaragua from neighboring countries.
Between January and May 2017, 102,388 passengers from Europe entered Panama through Tocumen International Airport, 25% more than in the same period in 2016.
From a statement issued by the Tourism Authority of Panama:
Through an agreement with Iberia flight connections will be improved from Rome and Milan to Madrid - San José, in order to connect both cities with San Jose.
A statement from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute says that in order to improve conditions of the connections between Madrid and the Italian cities of Rome and Milan, the airline Iberia will be taking the following measures: