Tourism Board launches hotline for visitors affected by protests; Education Minister resigns

Protesters have blocked important roads and highways throughout Costa Rica over recent days, impacting everything from shipping exports to tourism.

Monday, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) announced it has activated a pair of telephone numbers to support tourists and businesses affected by the demonstrations.

Affected tourists can call 800-TURISMO or the mobile phone number 8628-3247.

ICT estimates 83,000 international tourists are in Costa Rica. It’s also a busy week for domestic tourism, since mid-year school vacations began Monday.

The Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT) called on the government to “act firmly and take the necessary measures to re-establish regular transit in the roads.”

In the organization’s statement, issued Monday morning, ACOPROT emphasized that officials should work to minimize potential tourism impacts while respecting citizens’ right to demonstrate.

Truck drivers in Costa Rica are protesting a new tax, which went into effect July 1, arguing it makes them less competitive in relation to their Central American counterparts. Students were demonstrating against the Minister of Education, Édgar Mora, who resigned Monday.

While we are tracking which roads are closed (click here for that story), conditions may change rapidly, so take extra precautions and use navigations app such as Waze when driving.