Despite a sputtering U.S. economy and concerns over runaway development in the region, Costa Rica’s northwestern Guanacaste province continues to put up record tourism numbers, according to statistics released yesterday.
Tourist arrivals at the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste’s principal tourism hub, rose 13% in the first three months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to a marketing study commissioned by the Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA).
Citing numbers from the Civil Aviation Authority, CATURGUA reported 156,028 tourists came through the airport from January through March, considered the peak of the year’s tourism high season. Tourism numbers begin to drop off after March as the country enters its rainy season, and commonly don’t spike again until December.
Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides, speaking at a press conference yesterday held to announce the new figures, highlighted the good reputation Costa Rica appears to be enjoying among the visitors to Guanacaste.
“That 96% say that they are going to recommend us seems to me a fantastic product, considering that the majority of people that arrive in this country do because it was recommended by a friend or family member,” Benavides said. “It’s not all destinations in the world where people tend to come, or return again, with the frequency that you see in Costa Rica.”
According to the CATURGUA study, carried out by the marketing firm C&D Consultores, 48% of the tourists interviewed had already been to Costa Rica on a prior trip, up from 36% during the 2007 high season and 28% during the 2006 peak.
The research found that nearly three out of four (74%) visitors came from the United States and the rest (26%) came from Canada.
C&D Consultores interviewed 300 passengers at the Daniel Oduber airport, approaching passengers seated in seats pre-selected by the firm.
