Costa Rica’s tourism industry has become one our strongest economic engines, but a new OECD report says the sector is entering a more complicated phase: how to keep growing without overwhelming the destinations, infrastructure and communities that made the country attractive in the first place.
The OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report places Costa Rica among the countries where tourism carries unusual weight in the national economy. Direct tourism activity represented 6.3% of GDP in 2024, above the OECD average of 4.0%. The sector also accounted for 7.7% of national employment, equal to about 183,000 direct jobs.
Travel exports reached $5.5 billion in 2024, representing nearly 34% of Costa Rica’s services exports. When direct and indirect effects are included, Costa Rica’s Central Bank estimates tourism contributed 8.2% of national GDP.
Those figures confirm the scale of Costa Rica’s rebound after the pandemic. They also underline the risk. According to the OECD, international visitors accounted for between 66% and 76% of tourism spending in Costa Rica from 2016 to 2021, leaving the country exposed to changes in foreign demand.
That exposure is especially clear in Costa Rica’s source markets. The United States accounted for 56% of international tourists in 2024, followed by Canada at 9%. European countries together represented nearly 17%. For Costa Rica, that concentration brings reliable foreign currency in strong years, but it also leaves the industry vulnerable to recessions, airfare shifts, security concerns or changes in travel habits abroad.
The report points to a broader policy shift already underway. Costa Rica is trying to move beyond a model built mainly on higher visitor numbers and toward one based on value, sustainability, better destination management and a wider distribution of benefits.
That approach is reflected in the National Tourism Plan 2022-2027 and the update process now underway for 2027-2032. One of the clearest signs is Costa Rica’s plan to measure the “maximum acceptable capacity” of tourists for the country as a whole and for each of its 33 tourism development centers.
In real terms, that means tourism authorities are trying to define how much pressure specific destinations can handle before growth begins to damage roads, water systems, protected areas, housing access or the daily life of local residents.
The report also highlights Costa Rica’s push toward more local tourism management. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute remains the main national authority, but destination-level plans are meant to bring together municipalities, tourism chambers, government agencies, local organizations and businesses.
That local layer matters in communities already feeling the side effects of tourism growth, including rising housing costs, gentrification, pressure on public services and disputes over how much development should be allowed.
The OECD also points to Costa Rica’s Tourism Social Progress Index, updated in 2024, as an effort to measure more than visitor numbers or foreign currency. The index is designed to assess whether tourism destinations are seeing real improvements in social well-being, not just economic activity. The report says the results were shared within the government, including at Cabinet level, to help guide policy in areas where gaps were identified.
Inclusion is another part of the strategy. Costa Rica’s Tourism for All program, started in June 2023, gives people with financial limitations and people with disabilities access to tourism experiences around the country. More than 3,750 people have taken part, supported by 50 agreements with organizations, foundations, chambers and companies.
The program serves a wider purpose than subsidized trips. It also helps answer a political question that will become more important as tourism keeps growing: whether Costa Ricans themselves feel they are benefiting from an industry often marketed to foreign visitors.
Costa Rica is also trying to diversify what it sells. The OECD notes the creation of a Tourism Product Development Department within the tourism ministry structure, with early emphasis on wellness tourism. The report also cites infrastructure projects such as a new visitor center at Tenorio National Park and agreements to build tourist docks and improve national parks.
Costa Rica is still investing heavily in promotion as its 2026 tourism marketing budget is $48.3 million, more than $3 million above the previous year, financed mainly through entry and departure taxes and other tourism-related revenue.
One of the most ambitious ideas in the report is regenerative tourism. Costa Rica is looking at adopting the concept as public policy, moving beyond the usual promise of reducing environmental damage and toward tourism that actively restores ecosystems, strengthens communities and protects culture.
The OECD identifies five pillars behind that approach: environmental restoration, social impact and community empowerment, cultural preservation, deeper visitor experiences and long-term resilience.
That is where the real test begins. Costa Rica has spent decades building a global reputation around nature, sustainability and protected areas. The next phase will require more than branding. It will require enforceable limits, better local planning, investment in public infrastructure and a clearer answer to how much pressure the country’s most popular destinations can absorb.
The OECD’s assessment leaves Costa Rica in a strong but exposed position. Tourism is producing jobs, foreign currency and international visibility. But the same growth is now forcing the country to decide whether it can manage success before success starts creating damage of its own.
