Costa Rica’s tourism closed 2025 with 2,689,278 international visitors arriving by air — a slim 1% gain over 2024 — but the figures mask a sharper theme: a fourth-quarter rebound that has carried into a record-shattering 2025–2026 high season at both major airports, according to a new analysis.
The full-year result, confirmed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), added roughly 27,800 travelers to the 2024 total and fell short of the ICT’s earlier 1.7% growth target. Seven of the twelve months of 2025 posted year-over-year declines, and the country was still tracking negative through September. What rescued the year was a late surge: November arrivals jumped 12.2%, and December delivered 316,226 visitors, a 13.6% gain and the strongest month of the year.
That momentum has now carried deep into 2026. National air arrivals in the first quarter reached 959,738, a 12.9% increase over the same period in 2025, marking the strongest opening quarter on record. Tourism foreign-exchange revenue for 2025 closed at $5.543 billion, a record despite the modest visitor growth.
Record-Breaking High Season at Both Airports
The San Jose Airport posted a 10% jump in first-quarter passenger traffic over 2025, handling 590,952 travelers between January and March. The terminal closed the broader high-season window — November through early April — with international passenger growth near 8%, according to airport operator Aeris.
Daniel Oduber Quirós International in Liberia notched its strongest first quarter ever, moving 793,075 passengers, a 12% gain over the prior year. The Guanacaste hub also rewrote its single-day record twice in three months: 14,936 passengers on March 14, then 14,967 on March 21, with three of the top three busiest days in the airport’s history all occurring in the first quarter of 2026. Flight occupancy in Liberia hit 88% in March, the highest level in 18 months.
The Canadian market remains the engine of Guanacaste’s growth, expanding 27% year-over-year and now representing roughly 26% of Liberia’s international traffic. American, United, Delta, WestJet, and JetBlue operate the bulk of routes there, with Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles among the leading origin cities.
New seasonal connections also fueled the recovery. American Airlines launched daily service between San José and Chicago O’Hare beginning November 3, running through April 6. Southwest Airlines added its first nonstop between Nashville and San José in March 2026. Mexico’s Viva Aerobus began permanent twice-weekly service from Monterrey at the end of October 2025, while Porter Airlines opened routes from Toronto and Ottawa into Liberia and WestJet added Winnipeg.
Three Headwinds That Could Stall the Comeback
There are three pending issues that could erode the bounce-back if left unaddressed. First, the strong colón. The currency closed 2025 trading below ₡500 per U.S. dollar, levels not seen in two decades, and weighted averages in mid-May 2026 hovered near ₡453.
The appreciation has hiked Costa Rica’s effective price tag for dollar-paying tourists by an estimated 15–20% versus 2022, while squeezing margins for operators who earn in dollars but pay wages, utilities, and suppliers in colones. Five-star hotel rates rose 20% on average during 2025 and four-star rates climbed 23%, according to the ICT.
Second, security perceptions. Both the United States and Canada updated travel advisories during 2025, citing rising crime. The ICT has acknowledged the advisories and points to ongoing inter-institutional coordination, but industry groups including the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) warn that Costa Rica’s hard-won reputation as a safe destination is a multi-decade asset that can erode quickly.
Third, airport infrastructure approaching capacity. Both terminals have demonstrated they can attract additional flights and passengers, but peak hours are pressing against operational ceilings. Liberia’s concessionaire Coriport is preparing more than $6 million in annual expansion works, including a new private aviation terminal, expanded gate area, and additional parking.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) is preparing a similar-sized investment on the airside. Liberia’s concession expires in 2030, and the airport still operates only between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. — a long-discussed extension of hours has yet to materialize.
CANATUR has set a national strategy targeting 5.2 million annual visitors by 2035, projecting over $11 billion in revenue and nearly 300,000 jobs. The strategy comes against a backdrop of stiffer regional competition, with Panama posting 8.2% tourism growth in 2025 versus Costa Rica’s 1%. Tourism Minister William Rodríguez has been more measured, framing the government’s goal as 2–3% annual sustainable growth that prioritizes longer stays and higher per-visitor spending over mass-market volume.
The early 2026 numbers suggest the destination is regaining altitude. Whether it holds depends less on demand — which is clearly responding — than on whether currency policy, security investment, and infrastructure spending can keep pace.
