Canadian carrier WestJet to add flights to Costa Rica from Calgary, Toronto

WestJet Airlines will add two seasonal flights to Costa Rica from December to April, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) announced Monday.

From Dec. 15 to April 26, the low-cost airline will offer two weekly flights between Toronto and San José on Tuesdays and Sundays. It also will fly between Calgary and Liberia, Guanacaste, four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Both routes will be operated using Boeing 737-700 aircraft with a capacity of 136 passengers.

Costa Rica’s Tourism Minister Mauricio Ventura said some of the new flights would help add options from western Canada. That country is currently the second source of tourists entering Costa Rica by air, following the U.S.

“Toronto represents some 12 percent of the top visitor prospects for our country, and Calgary adds 5 percent. Canadian tourists show a high interest in visiting or revisiting the country. They are experienced travelers, committed to sustainability, with high income and education levels,” Ventura said.

ICT data indicate that Canadian tourists show a revisitation average to Costa Rica of 34 percent and they stay for an average of 15 nights. Their daily spending between 2009-2014 was about $96. Canadian tourists mostly are interested in visiting beach destinations, wildlife observation, hiking and visiting volcanoes.

A total of 155,103 Canadians entered the country by air in 2014, an increase of 7.5 percent compared with 2013 figures, according to the ICT.