Flooding in recent weeks and road blockades staged by porteadores on Wednesday caused losses in the tourism sector at a time when businesses expected to profit from the mid-year school vacations.
The World Economic Forum ranked Costa Rica the fourth most tourism-ready economy in Latin America. Still, tourism sector leaders believe the country “can and should rank better.”
In an effort to make tourists feel more secure in downtown San José, the Tourist Police headquarters recently moved to new facilities and added 49 police officers, two police cars, six motorcycles and ten bicycles for patrolling downtown.
Tourism Ministry officials on Thursday reported that revenues from Costa Rica's travel sector last year totaled $2.6 billion, an 8.3 percent increase over the $2.4 billion registered in 2013, according to figures from the Central Bank.
Beach hotel owners were the most optimistic in the survey, reporting that they expect at least 91 percent occupancy in the Central Pacific, 89 percent occupancy in the Northern Pacific (Guanacaste), 85 percent in the Southern Pacific and 69 percent in the Caribbean.
Some 200 representatives of tourism chambers and associations, entrepreneurs and professionals are meeting this week at the 18th National Tourism Congress to discuss key issues to improve Costa Rica's status as a popular tourist destination.
