Costa Rica highlights high flow of European tourists during August

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Costa Rican authorities announced Friday that 21,969 tourists from Europe entered the country, the highest number of visitation from that destination so far in 2021.

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) indicated in a report that this number represents almost 60% of the entry of European travelers recorded during the same month of 2019, before the start of the covid-19 health crisis.

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“Despite the travel restrictions established by the European Union to its citizens, these figures are encouraging for the gradual recovery of the Costa Rican tourism sector and generate positivism for the closing of the year and the beginning of the high season. It also commits us to be vigilant in the application of sanitary protocols”, said the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura.

Official data reveal that of the total international arrivals during the eighth month of the year from the main European issuing markets for Costa Rica, 8,790 tourists came from Spain, 2,626 from Germany, 2,601 from France, 1,115 from Switzerland, 711 from the United Kingdom, and 660 from the Netherlands.

In August, the country recorded a total entry by air of 114,227 people, representing 66% of what was recorded in 2019 when there was no pandemic.

At Juan Santamaría International Airport (center), the most important airport in the country, 81,231 people entered the previous month, while at Daniel Oduber Airport (North Pacific), 32,996 did so.

In addition, the United States is the main issuing market of travelers to Costa Rica and leads the recovery with the arrival of 75,407 visitors during August 2021.

“These figures put Costa Rica on the road to recovery (…) so far this year we reached 793,391 tourists by all routes, and by air arrived 758,591. We continue in this line of gradual recovery and with the crucial call to continue respecting protocols and inviting tourists to apply measures to avoid contagion, “said Segura.

Tourism is one of the main drivers of the economy of Costa Rica, a country that is home to about 6% of the planet’s biodiversity, which is one of its main attractions.

This sector has been most affected during the health crisis due to border closures and mobility restrictions.

Currently, Costa Rica keeps its borders open to tourists worldwide and applies a series of sanitary protocols in hotels, businesses, and national parks.