No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessTourists flocked to Costa Rica in record numbers in 2013

Tourists flocked to Costa Rica in record numbers in 2013

Costa Rica welcomed some 2.4 million tourists during 2013, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to 2012, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) reported Thursday.

The Central American country logged 2,427,941 international arrivals, according to a report from the state tourism agency.

During the last four years of President Laura Chinchilla’s administration, which concludes on May 8, tourism has grown 15.6 percent.

The ICT noted that the biggest growth in the number of travelers came from tourists flying to Costa Rica, which was up 4.2 percent.

Costa Rica is especially popular with Gringos. Some 39 percent of tourists here are from the United States, while another 12.4 percent come from Europe. The remaining tourists are from other parts of Central America, South America and the rest of the word.

The ICT did not release other information, like how much revenue tourism generated last year.

In a statement released Thursday, the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), an organization made up of private-sector business owners, said they were not satisfied with 3.6 percent growth.

“We always consider any increase in the number of visitors as positive, but we can’t say we’re satisfied – it’s not enough,” CANATUR President Isabel Vargas said. “Costa Rica has the natural conditions and a tourist product to attract more travelers than those who are coming now.”

Trending Now

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica