COSTA RICA: Costa Rica Tourism Souring Upwards

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism exceeded $2.8 billion, an increase of 9% compared to 2014, according to figures presented by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).

In 2015 the number of tourists who entered the country grew by 5.5% compared to 2014, while global growth in the same period was 4.4%.

The number of tourists from the United States, the country from which the most number of people came to Costa Rica, grew by 8%, going from 997,262 travelers in 2014 to 1,077,044 in 2015, according to data from the institution.

Visitor arrivals from Europe rose by 6.1%, with a noteworthy 20% increase in the number of tourists coming from the UK. The influx of tourists from South America increased by 13%, particularly from Brazil and Argentina.

A plan is underway to boost medical hydrology in the north of the country, taking advantage of the tourist infrastructure and natural conditions in the area.

Entrepreneurs from San Carlos, in the northern part of the country, plan to form partnerships "with the medical community and businesses in order to build medical centers and train professionals in the health industry, said Lorena Herrera, businesswoman and team president", reported Elfinancierocr.com.

Data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has revealed that 25% of the tourists coming to Costa Rica visit the area. "This type of tourism has been growing as people recognize the benefits of thermal waters," said Gabriela Moreira spokeswoman for Baldi Hot Springs resort.

Meanwhile, Rodolfo Lizano, leader of Macroprocess Planning and ICT Development, said that he was not aware of the initiative and that the concept of thermal tourism or medical hydrology is not within any of the categories of reasons for travel taken into account by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

From a press release by the National Chamber of Tourism of Costa Rica (CANATUR):

The European region represents one of the main markets for attracting tourists to Costa Rica, which, according to figures from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), received 284,996 visitors from Europe, which means about 12% of total reported income in 2012.

The Old Continent represents a potential market because it generates the highest outbound traffic, ie, citizens engaged in tourism outside their country of origin.

According to figures from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 53% of those who traveled around the world were from Europe, likewise, five of the top ten countries reporting the most expenditure in international tourism are in the European zone (Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, France and Italy).