No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta Rica3.1 million tourists visited Costa Rica last year. Here's where they all...

3.1 million tourists visited Costa Rica last year. Here’s where they all came from

Costa Rica received 3.1 million foreign visitors last year, 4.1% more than in 2018, according to figures released by the government earlier this month.

Where did they all come from? Let’s dive in:

Most tourists arrived from North America

Of the 3,139,008 international visitors to Costa Rica in 2019, more than half (1,666,571) came from North America. Of those, the vast majority originated in the United States.

More than 1.3 million tourists came from the United States, more than any other country — by far. In fact, all of Europe registered “just” 500,602 visits to Costa Rica in 2019.

The 1,334,777 arrivals from the United States marked a 5.5% increase over 2018. Canada’s 234,621 visitors in 2019 were an even more significant uptick over 2018 at an 8.1% jump.

Central America and Europe played big roles

After North America, Central America and Europe were the regions that generated the highest numbers of visitors to Costa Rica.

Nicaragua comprised the majority of Central American visits; more than 59% of the region’s arrivals were from Costa Rica’s neighbors to the north. (On a related note, Costa Rica says it received more than 70,000 refugee requests from Nicaragua in 2018 and 2019 alone.)

As for Europe, Germany (80,580) narrowly beat out the United Kingdom (78,562) in terms of visitors to Costa Rica. Not unsurprisingly, the countries that contributed most to Costa Rica’s tourism industry (Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and The Netherlands) all have airlines with direct flights here.

Air travel remains paramount

Of the 3.1 million international visitors to Costa Rica, the vast majority arrived via airplane.

The Costa Rican Tourism Board recorded 2,418,300 arrivals via air travel, with a notable exception of Nicaraguans (just 4.4% came to Costa Rica via airplane).

Of the 2,418,300 international visitors who came to Costa Rica via airplane, 1,817,043 transited through Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela.

Just under 600,000 people transited through Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport — an 8.5% increase over 2018. This is likely to grow further in 2020 after several airlines inaugurated new flights to the Liberia airport.

An oddity: Tourism boom from North Korea

Costa Rica received a single visitor from North Korea. He or she arrived in December 2019.

Source: The Costa Rican Tourism Board’s annual report.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Loses Ocean Award Amid Shark Conservation Controversy

Following recent statements by Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment, Franz Tattenbach, international organizations Fins Attached in association with the Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation, have...

Exiled Nicaraguan Journalists in Costa Rica Face Growing Harassment

Nicaragua has increased its “harassment and retaliation” against exiled journalists and their families who remain in the country, according to a report published Thursday...

UN Experts Warn of Possible Nicaraguan Government Role in Exile’s Murder in Costa Rica

A team of UN human rights experts said Tuesday that involvement by the Nicaraguan government in the killing of retired major Roberto Samcam cannot...

Costa Rica’s Religious Culture Through the Eyes of a Non-Religious Expat

Costa Rica is the only country in the Americas that has an official religion—Catholicism—enshrined in its constitution. While the Constitution recognizes freedom of worship,...

Costa Rica Police Uncover Second Cyanide-Laced Mining Operation in Crucitas

The environmental crisis in Crucitas persists. Police discovered and dismantled an artisanal mining material processing plant in a wooded area of Tatú Hill in Crucitas,...

Illegal Airstrip Allegedly Built in Costa Rica’s Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge

The Limón branch of the Environmental Prosecutor's Office is investigating the alleged construction of an airstrip inside the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, as well...
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