The tourism sector will go totally to zero for the next 3 months.
This was stated by the Minister of Tourism, María Amalia Revelo.
According to data given by the minister, this vital sector that creates about 200 thousand jobs directly and another 400 thousand indirectly, will be the most affected by the world crisis due to COVID-19.
“The sector most affected will be tourism and along with all the economic linkage that the sector generates as such.
So many many people are affected by this enormous tragedy” said Revelo.
In Costa Rica, 94% of the tourism sector are small and medium-sized companies, with an average capacity of fewer than 40 rooms, and with the peculiarity that it is a kind of activity in which tourists travel throughout the country generating the so-called “tourist dollar”, distributed fairly even throughout all the country because on average a tourist spends $ 1,400 during his visit to Costa Rica in at least 7 places during a two-week visit.
“We believe and expect that 8 out of 10 employees will be dismissed from their jobs with an interruption to their contracts and the other 2 remaining will be placed under more disfavorable economic conditions”, stated the minister.
The nation’s President announced the “PROTECT” plan and there is much hope in it. The minister said that they are working day and night so to reduce the impact of the blow by the total and sudden stop in the sector for at least the next 3 months.
She says that they are in constant communication with other sectors and other countries to be ready when the crisis passes to start engines again.
María Amalia Revelo expressed that they have clear data indicating negative effects in every way possible and that tourist activity is at zero visits and zero income.
She also comments that the hotels have put their facilities at disposal to attend to the emergency by COVID-19 if necessary.
The minister made a call for all citizens to remain calm, and put health first, emphasizing that the government is working to create policies to help in this economic crisis.
As a special request, she asked that Ticos pray for the work of her team and the entire government that is committed day and night to safeguard all the inhabitants of Costa Rica.
