Tourist arrivals to Costa Rica took another hit in May 2025, raising red flags for the country’s vital tourism industry. Data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) shows a 4.7% drop in air arrivals compared to May 2024, with total arrivals across all entry routes down by 5%. This marks a continuation of a troubling trend that’s been dragging on since September 2024, with eight of the last twelve months showing fewer visitors than the previous year.
In May, only 189,881 tourists arrived by air, down from 199,058 the year before. The first five months of 2025 saw 33,000 fewer air arrivals than in 2024, a 2.5% decline year-on-year. While April bucked the trend with a 4.6% increase, thanks to Easter Week’s seasonal boost, the numbers quickly slid back into the red.
The U.S. and Canada, which drive much of Costa Rica’s tourism, saw significant drops. U.S. visitors fell by 6.4%, while Canadian arrivals dipped by 5.3%. European markets weren’t spared either: Germany saw a 5.1% decline, France a steep 20.6%, the UK 4.3%, and Spain a slight 0.3%. These numbers reflect a broader slowdown, with first-quarter 2025 arrivals hitting just 63% of 2019’s pre-pandemic levels.
Money is feeling the pinch too. The Central Bank of Costa Rica reports tourism revenue for the first quarter of 2025 at $1.773 billion, down $60 million (3.4%) from last year. This drop stings for an industry that accounts for 8.2% of the country’s GDP and supports nearly 9% of jobs.
So, what’s behind the slump? The government points to global factors, like airline capacity cuts. U.S. airlines reduced seats to Costa Rica by 10% in early 2025, limiting access for North American travelers, who made up 59% of visitors last year. But the business sector tells a different story. They argue the strong Costa Rican colón, now at about ₡500 per U.S. dollar (up from ₡700 in 2022), is making Costa Rica pricier than competitors like Panama or Colombia. A family vacation that cost $6,000 a few years ago now runs closer to $7,800, pushing middle-class travelers elsewhere.
Safety concerns are also casting a shadow. Costa Rica recorded 880 homicides in 2024 and 225 in early 2025, with over 6,300 tourist-related crimes like theft and assaults since 2020. A high-profile robbery near Tamarindo in April 2025, widely shared online, didn’t help. A U.S. Embassy travel advisory from December 2024, citing crime near San José’s airport, has fueled hesitation, with a 2025 ICT survey showing 15% of potential visitors worried about safety. Operators in Limón reported a 10% booking drop tied to crime reports.
Tourism Minister William Rodríguez downplays these issues, calling safety and currency concerns exaggerated. At a June 16, 2025, press conference, he highlighted a 7% increase in air arrivals from January to May (1.2 million total) and rising online searches for Costa Rica trips. He’s banking on a $10 million global marketing campaign and beefed-up police patrols to keep the country’s appeal strong. But not everyone’s buying it. Industry leaders like Shirley Calvo from the National Chamber of Tourism argue the exchange rate is killing competitiveness, and focusing on high-end tourists risks alienating the middle-class market that built the industry.
There’s some hope on the horizon. European airlines like KLM are adding flights for the 2025–2026 high season, and South American arrivals are ticking up, offsetting some North American losses. The ICT projects modest 2–4% growth for the rest of 2025, but challenges like rising costs and safety perceptions remain. In addition, industry voices continue to call for exchange rate interventions and broader safety measures to stop the slide before it’s too late.
