Concerns by the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) became a reality on Friday as the Tax Administration issued an order to businesses to begin charging sales tax on all tourism activities.
Last Friday, President Luis Guillermo Solís and Environment Minister Edgar Gutiérrez signed a decree eliminating a 15 percent sales tax on national park entrance fees. The act reverses a controversial decree that went into effect last week, angering business owners in the tourism sector.
SANTIAGO MATATLÁN, Mexico – Once derided as a drink for destitute drunkards, Mexico's smoky-flavored mezcal liquor has come out of the shadows to become a trendy booze in fashionable bars from Mexico City to Sydney.
Just over half of hotel rooms in Costa Rica were occupied during the first two weeks of this month, when most Ticos enjoyed mid-year vacations. Average occupancy was 57.56 percent, which was far from the 67.64 percent expected by hotel owners in a previous survey, according to the National Tourism Chamber.
A spokeswoman for the Judicial Investigation Police confirmed to The Tico Times that security cameras and witnesses identified four suspects who were at a La Fortuna bar, El Establo, the last place where the victim was seen before the alleged rape took place early Sunday morning.
At least seven new routes between Costa Rica and destinations across the Americas could launch operations during the second half of the year, according to Costa Rica's Civil Aviation Administration.
As Costa Ricans obsessively tracked the arrival of their national men's team, La Sele, after its historic run at the 2014 World Cup – many rushing to Juan Santamaría International Airport to catch a glimpse of the players – thousands of visitors to Costa Rica were trying to reach the airport.
After Costa Rica’s historic string of World Cup wins so far, the small Central American country of 4.8 million is hoping that all the extra attention will translate into more tourists and foreign investment.
With just a week to go before the start of Costa Rica's mid-year vacations, the demand for lodging remains low. And although tourism business owners hope this year will be better than last, they also say the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will lower occupancy rates here.
