The number of tourists entering Costa Rica shows that in the period from January to October of this year, 927,482 travelers have arrived by air, of which 646,212 did so through the Juan Santamaría International Airport and 281,267 through the Guanacaste Airport (Daniel Oduber Quirós), according to data from the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners analyzed by the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism.
These numbers generate positivism in the face of the beginning of the traditionally high season or with greater visitation that is concentrated during the months of November and December.
US, the main source
From the United States, the main source market for tourists to Costa Rica, the arrival of 647,765 people is counted in the first 10 months of 2021, that is, just over 61% of the numbers from the same pre-pandemic period. It is followed by Spain with 31,444 tourists, Mexico with 27,917, France with 29,290 and Switzerland with 14,092. In the first ten months of the year, Costa Rica has received 978,676 tourists by all routes.
In addition, an outstanding fact is that a total of 23,459 tourists arrived at the Guanacaste air terminal during the month of October, which exceeds the record for the same month of 2019 when 22,290 travelers did, surpassing for the first time the data prior to the start of the pandemic.
For its part, a total of 67,833 tourists arrived at the Juan Santamaría airport in the tenth month of the year. The total entry of tourists registered in October was 91,292 people by air, that is, 67% of the numbers for October 2019.
Truly important
“The growth shown to date is truly important for the country because it shows a sustained path of reactivation of the tourism sector. It does not only mean that more tourists arrive, but it also involves the recovery of employment, activation of companies and commercial activity throughout the industry’s value chain in the face of a situation that continues to be complex at the international and national level”, said Gustavo J. Segura, Rector Minister of Tourism.
