1 Millionth U.S. tourist

Costa Rica tourism swelled by 9 percent in 2015, outpacing the national GDP of 2.8 percent by threefold.

A surprise welcome awaited Joel and Kristine Kratochvil and their three daughters, Anna, 16, Leah, 14, and Jenna, 12, at Costa Rica's Juan Santamaría International Airport on Friday. According to the Costa Rican Tourism Board, one of the members of this Washington state family is the 1 millionth tourist to arrive from the United States in 2015.