Comments on: Vacation rentals will have to pay equal taxes and fees as hotels

By: James Dyde

James Dyde — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 14:00:00 +0000

As someone who works in tourism in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, I can say that the prime reason that hotel occupation is in a downward trend in CR is because most hotels are just too darn expensive here for what you get. Costa Rica is no way an affordable destination anymore, especially compared with its immediate neighbors north and south. Take a four star option, for example, Plaza Colon in the colonial city of Granada, Nicaragua – that place starts at $99 plus taxes a night. Expensive for Nicaragua, sure, but a comparable hotel in CR would come in at the $250-$300 plus taxes a night range. That’s just one example out of many. Other countries in the region are starting, tentatively, to get their acts together in terms in terms of tourist marketing, and Costa Rica just doesn’t offer that unique an experience anymore, especially when you get it elsewhere for the same high-end quality for less. Blaming the rental home business is the typical head-in-the-sand approach I’ve come to expect down here.

By: georgechapogas

georgechapogas — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 00:19:00 +0000

for ben, that qualifies as lucid.

By: SirVivor

SirVivor — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 20:09:00 +0000

Sounds like another diversion from the real underlying problems. Tourism is down for many other reasons far outweighing competition with vacation rentals. Costa Rica is no longer a good travel value for the average income tourist. Because of much higher vacationing costs here, Costa Rica is now having to compete in a more upscale tourism market they are not equipped for.

By: winkdarren

winkdarren — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 18:36:00 +0000

They won’t do this very effectively. This is just one of them laws that pisses honest people off. You’ve got to wonder what happens to the houses that are lived in by their own for part of the year and rented the other part.

By: Gene Warneke

Gene Warneke — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:47:00 +0000

Dave T- great posting.
PublicEnemy2u- right on.

By: Patrick Smyth

Patrick Smyth — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:43:00 +0000

So they are going to monitor this how?

By: PublicEnemy2u

PublicEnemy2u — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:27:00 +0000

Buy low, sale high …. sorry, that won’t be happening now.
Boy do I feel like I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express or what.
At least this will keep investors from buying land where large hotels have plans for every drop of available clean water and investors are treated like cash cows.

By: CR Guest

CR Guest — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 16:51:00 +0000

Huh … what is this comment in response to? Where did you come up with this BS? It’s not even relevant to the article.

By: DaveT

DaveT — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 16:37:00 +0000

Private home rentals are down as well. Let’s be more honest here, tourism in general will continue to drop in Costa Rica until they get serious about crime. With social media as it is now, the word is out more and more that the crime, especially against tourist is so out of control. It is also well known around the world now that Costa Rica doesn’t even control the criminals if they are caught. As is the case in most countries today, the government’s answer is to just continue raising taxes. Costa Rica is killing the goose that laid the golden egg and they don’t have a clue they are doing it. The ignorant politicians think they can just keep digging into the pockets of the foreigners and they are just going to continue letting them. Many people are leaving Costa Rica and the ignorant politicians are going to be left holding their hand out saying, “but where’s the money, we don’t really like you foreigners but bring the money back”.

By: Benthecat

Benthecat — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 15:37:00 +0000

Fair and equal treatment is not a concept conservative Christians believe in. Most for me, scraps for you, Jesus saves!