Last-minute deals for the long weekend (but please vacation responsibly)

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) is promoting last-minute deals in the hours before the Independence Day long weekend.

Via their platform dedicated to domestic travel, “Vamos a Turistear,” the ICT has partnered with businesses to launch exclusive offers for the holiday.

Offers include deals on hotels; adventure tours; whale and dolphin watching; and nighttime hikes. Promotions feature destinations such as La Fortuna de San Carlos; Nosara in Guanacaste; Bahía Ballena in the south Pacific; Turrialba; Monteverde; Sarapiquí; Limón; and Quepos, according to the ICT.

Vamos a Turistear supports national tourism and is designed to encourage Costa Rican citizens and residents to explore the country. Foreign tourists typically do not qualify for these discounts.

Independence Day observed Monday

Costa Rica celebrates Independence Day on September 15, which this year falls on Tuesday.

However, as part of an effort to kickstart the tourism sector, Costa Rica moved the observation of some holidays to create more long weekends through 2024. As a result, most workers will receive Monday, September 14 as a mandatory pay holiday, resulting in a three-day weekend.

Please travel responsibly

The ICT and other authorities reminded tourists to follow health protocols if they choose to travel this weekend.

“The instruction that accompanies these offers is to tour safely in the context of COVID-19, strictly respecting the established health protocols: traveling with your social bubble, wearing a mask in the required spaces, hand washing and physical distancing,” the ICT said.

Rubén Acón, president of the Costa Rica Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), asked that if Costa Ricans “have the privilege of traveling, let’s do it consciously, keeping in mind the importance of complying with the sanitary measures established by authorities.”

Throughout Costa Rica, most open-air tourism activities are permitted. This includes national parks and beaches, with some restrictions to help prevent large crowds. Beaches, for example, close at 2:30 p.m. daily.