Tourist arrivals to Costa Rica by air rose 10.3 percent in January 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to data released Monday by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). Our country welcomed 294,087 visitors by air last month. That marks an increase of 27,412 arrivals over the 266,675 recorded in January 2025.
The figures come as Costa Rica completes four straight months of growth in international air arrivals during high season, which runs through April. The positive run started in October 2025 after several months of declines earlier in the year.
Tourism Minister William Rodríguez noted the gains were particularly strong in the country’s priority markets. North America led the way with 218,326 arrivals, up 11.5 percent from a year earlier. Within that group, Canada posted the biggest jump at 22.9 percent, followed by Mexico at 22.6 percent and the United States at 8 percent.
South American visitors rose 13.8 percent to 15,249, while arrivals from Europe increased 5 percent to 48,050. Spain showed solid growth at 16.7 percent, though some other European countries posted smaller gains or slight drops. Airport-specific numbers also reflected the uptick. Arrivals at the Liberia Airport in Guanacaste grew 13 percent. The San José saw an 8 percent increase.
The January results stand in contrast to the full-year 2025 total. Air arrivals for all of 2025 reached 2,689,278, a modest 1 percent rise over 2024. The ICT releases these statistics monthly based on data from the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners.
