Costa Rica received 9 cruise ships simultaneously this past week, a situation is rarely seen in the country that the authorities take as a clear sign of the reactivation of the Tourism sector after the Covid-19 Pandemic.
“After two very difficult years for the cruise industry due to the Pandemic, it is satisfying to serve nine cruise ships simultaneously with the consequent benefit that tourist visits bring to port communities, a situation that validates an improved 2022-2023 season”, Gustavo Alvarado, director of Tourism Management of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), said in a statement.
Of the 9 cruise ships, which carry a total of 6,500 tourists, 2 are in the port of Puntarenas (Pacific), 3 in Limón (Caribbean), two in Quepos (Pacific), one in Playas del Coco (Pacific) and another in the islands of the Gulf of Nicoya (Pacific).
These are the ships Seabourn Sojourn, Silver Moon, Wind Star, World Voyager, National Geographic Quest, Amadea, Caribbean Princess, Zaandam and MS Panorama.
Revival of the local economy
The ICT highlighted that 3 of the cruises will remain in Costa Rica between 8 and 12 hours, but there are 6 luxury and expedition cruises that will be in the country between 3 and 5 days, which will allow tourists to visit communities and tourist destinations and contribute to the revival of the local economy.
Official projections indicate that in the cruise season that runs from September 2022 to July 2023, some 300 of these ships will arrive in Costa Rica, 20% more than in the previous season.
40% of the cruises correspond to the category of expedition and luxury, which are characterized by staying longer in the country and by a higher average expense per tourist.
One of the engines of the Costa Rican economy
Tourism is one of the engines of the Costa Rican economy and has been recovering little by little in the last two years, after the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic that strongly affected the sector since 2020.
Before the health crisis, this country of 5.1 million inhabitants received just over 3 million tourists each year and tourism employed some 400,000 people.During 2022 the figures have recovered and are close to matching those registered before the Pandemic.
