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Tourism Drops, Minister
Confident of Increase For 2007
According to the Spanish
language daily, La Nación, Costa
Rica had 75.000 less tourists in
the last 12 months, between
October 2005 and September 2006.
The report says that in November
2005, the number tourists
visiting Costa Rica in the
preceding 12 months was
1.569.400. Between October 2005
and the September 2006, the
number of tourists decreased to
1.494.400 or 75.000 less.
The figures are taken from entry
points to Costa Rica at the
international airports, Juan
Santamaría in San José and
Daniel Oduber in Liberia,
Guanacaste.
The Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur)
estimates that the drop in
tourists means at us$100 million
dollars to the local economy.
Canatur estimates that each
tourists means spends some
us$1.300 on average.
The figures show that 102.343
less visitors passed through the
Santamaría, while at the Oduber,
the number of visitors increased
by 26.990.
The number of visitor to the
country include all passengers
arriving the airports, both
foreign and national. However,
Jean Marc Bourreau, manage for
the Dirección de Operaciones de
Alterra, the airport manager,
says that the drop in the
numbers is of foreigners.
The Instituto Costarricense de
Turismo (ICT) says that the
number of tourists arriving at
the San José airport decreased
3% between January and June of
this year in comparison to the
same period in 2005. Canatur is
predicting that by the end of
this year, tourism will have
dropped 6%.
Alberto López, executive
director of Canatur, says that
the drop is directly related to
the poor infrastructure in the
airport and roads, as well as
the constant attacks and theft
of passports.
Competition from Panama and
Nicaragua is also affecting the
number of tourists coming to
Costa Rica, according to
Mauricio Céspedes, director of
the Guanacaste tourism board.
Carlos Ricardo Benavides,
minister of Tourism, admitted
the situation and attributes the
drop to the fact that during the
2004-2005 period tourism grew
17%, an exception increase.
Benavides is confident that the
"decrease" is temporary and that
in 2007 tourism will increase.
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