COSTA RICA: Expecting More Italian Tourists

A statement from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute says that in order to improve conditions of the connections between Madrid and the Italian cities of Rome and Milan, the airline Iberia will be taking the following measures:

"... Improving the connections of flights from Rome and Milan with Madrid-San José, so that the transit of these passengers through Terminal 4 of Adolfo Suarez Barajas Airport is more agile.

Iberia will study the movement of flights from Rome and Milan that connect SJO to the 4S building, when operations allow, so that transit is more comfortable for passengers.

"... Optimize flight schedules from Rome and Milan that connect with Madrid-San Jose, so that the time scale is also shorter (between 80-90 minutes in each direction) and more comfortable for tourists coming from these destinations."

Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism in Costa Rica, stressed that the ICT has been working intensely to attract airlines that connect with the main markets that emit tourists. In 2016 alone Costa Rica received 24,173 Italians, 7.7% more than in 2015.

"Our positioning in this market is of great relevance, in 2016 more than 430 thousand people from Europe came to the country through all ports, this new Iberia option will allow greater visitation to our country, which allows us to further dynamize Tourism," Ventura said.

The airline Edelweiss has announced that it will be operating twice weekly direct flights between Zurich and Juan Santamaria International Airport starting from May 9, 2017.

From November 2 Air France will be operating two flights per week between the French capital and the international airport of San Jose, Costa Rica.

The flights will be operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with flight AF340 departing Paris Charles De Gaulle airport at 13:45 and arriving in Costa Rica at 18:10 the same day. Flight AF431 will leave Juan Santamaria Airport at 20:40 and arrive in Paris at 13:50 the next day.

As of June 2, the Spanish airline will begin operating a sixth weekly flight and one month after that a seventh will be added.

The airline is to increases the number of seats available to 2000 per week on its Madrid-Panama City route.

"Ernesto Orillac, Deputy Administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), expressed optimism over the expansion of air services.

The Tourism Minister informed they are having talks with two companies, and they could announce good news next year.

Currently, there are few flights between the country and the European Continent (Iberia operates a daily frequency, and Condor two per week). According to the tourism authority, this is limiting the growth of the industry.