According to the Costa Rican Tourism Board and the Immigration Administration, 2014 proved to be a banner year in terms of tourism in Costa Rica. The country exceeded all historical records, witnessing more than 2.5 million international arrivals recorded at all ports of industry, resulting in a growth of 4.1 percent year-over-year. Most visitors to Costa Rica arrived by air. Between the two international airports, Daniel Oduber Quiros, in Liberia, and Juan Santamaria in San Jose, there were more than 1,700,000 arrivals during 2014. Approximately 70 percent of those arrivals were from North America, while 16.5 percent arrived from Europe. South America was responsible for 6.9 percent of the arrivals by air in Costa Rica. Compared to the preceding year, Europe experienced a significant amount of growth, with 20 percent more Europeans arriving in Costa Rica in 2014. Most of those arrivals were from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Rodolfo Lizano, the director of strategic planning for the Costa Rican Tourism Board has stated that the growth of the tourism industry in Costa Rica can also be measured based on spending by tourists as well as foreign exchange earnings. Consequently, in 2014, the Central Bank of Costa Rica registered a foreign exchange income of more than $2.5 billion, representing an increase of 8.3 percent year-over-year.
Costa Rican Tourism on Par with Other Countries
In 2014, the average stay for a vacation in Costa Rica was about 12 nights. During that time, tourists spent an average amount of between $1,300 and $1,400 dollars. Those figures are on par for other destinations throughout the region as well as major destinations around the globe.
According to research conducted by the Costa Rican Tourism Board, there is a potential market of between 65 and 70 million people in the United States with a desire to travel abroad. Furthermore, approximately 16 million of those people have an interest in traveling to a destination such as Costa Rica, indicating there is still a tremendous amount of potential for Costa Rica to increase its arrivals from the record numbers seen in 2014.
Since Costa Rica has implemented a sustainable tourism development model, the country as continued to grow as an attractive destination for travelers who are looking for high-standard services and an authentic travel experience. The Minister of Tourism has even gone on to state that Costa Rica has become a role model for other countries with a desire to improve their tourism industries.
