Costa Rica tourist numbers up 7.4% for the first half of 2012

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San Jose – Costa Rica continues to be one of the preferred destinations for tourists in Latin America.

 

Reports provided by the Directorate General of Immigration (DGME) and analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) indicate that Costa Rica received 1,285,599 international visitors during the first six months of the year, which represents an increase of 7, 4% over the same period in 2011. 

The airports report the largest number of arrivals (70%). A total of 856,672 international visitors arrived by air, 50,021 more arrivals in comparison with last year. This number represents a growth of 6, 2%.

Juan Santamaria Airport , San Jose

Juan Santamaria International Airport had 655,530 arrivals, while Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia received 198,913 arrivals, an increase of 26% in comparison with 2011.

The majority of visitors came from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

For Allan Flores, Minister of Tourism, the rise in arrivals by air reflects the hard work that has been done to attract new airlines and increase the frequency of flights, which has resulted in an increase in the number of seats available to our country.

The ICT has an information system that allows the monitoring of several indicators of the tourism sector, many of which are available on its website. This system indicates the number of international arrivals by air, sea, and land during a given period, which is obtained from the data provided by the DGME.
According to Flores, this is a general indicator endorsed and recommended by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which measures the level of growth or decline in tourism for a country as a whole. The purpose is to establish an objective measurement of the tourism activity in Costa Rica, as well as make comparisons with other regions.

In addition, the ICT provides classified information about tourists such as nationality, reasons for traveling, lodging, expenses, and other activities, which is gathered through surveys given to travelers in all different ports of the country.

This information helps entrepreneurs, researchers, and experts prepare market studies.

Read the full story in The Costa Rica News (TCRN)San Jose Costa Rica

Huge increase in Tourists visiting Costa Rica through Liberia Airport

Government statistics just announced showed that 80,272 tourists came into Costa Rica through Daniel Oduber International Airport, Liberia. This is 36.5% more than in February 2011 (58,790 pax) and 73.4% more than in February 201o (46,296)

You can download the full report here

December surge helps Costa Rica break tourism records

By the Tico Times

Hotel occupancy in the Central Pacific, Guanacaste and Puntarenas hovered around 70 percent during the month of December.

Ronald Reyes

Last December 16,000 more tourists visited Costa Rica than in December 2010.

Costa Rica closed out a record-breaking year for tourism with a strong December. Hotel occupation in the country rose 6.1 percent compared to December 2010, with hotels having on average 62 percent of rooms occupied, according to a press release from the Costa Rica Hotels and Resorts Association.

The country took in 2.2 million tourists in 2011, the most ever. The number represented a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board. In December 2011, 16,000 more tourisms visited Costa Rican than in December 2010.

For hotels in December, the Central Pacific saw 70 percent occupancy in the region’s hotels. Guanacaste and Puntarenas also neared 70 percent occupancy. The lowest occupancy numbers were in the Central Valley (56 percent), the Caribbean (58 percent) and the Northern Plains (58 percent).

Beach resorts hosted the most visitors, reporting 67 percent occupancy.

The newly opened terminal at the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, capital of northwestern Guanacaste province, helped bring the airport a 31.4 percent increase in arrivals compared to the previous year.

“We are working diligently to attract more airlines to our country, position the destination at international fairs and trade shows and promoting our one-of-a-kind attractions in our core markets,” said Costa Rica Tourism Minister Allan Flores, in a press release.

OCCUPANCY PERCENTAGES BY REGION, December 2011

Region	Occupancy percentage
Caribbean	58%
Guanacaste	68%
Northern Plains	58%
Central Pacific	70%
Southern Pacific	60%
Puntarenas	67%
Central Valley	56%
Average	62%

Read the full story on the Tico Times here