Semana Santa
Cool To Tourism
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Semana Santa
Cool To Tourism
Semana Santa is not warning up at all, for
hotel and resorts owners, that is. The
current economic crisis is being blamed for
the low interest of Ticos to head for the
beaches and mountains, preferring to stay
home for Semana Santa.
Semana Santa is a high season for hotel and
resort operators. However, a poll by the
Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur) shows
that 71% of the hotels questioned have lower
reservations than this year over last.
Only 4% of the hotels say they have an
increase in reservations this year, while
19% say the numbers are about the same as
last year.
Canatur says that hardest hit this year are
the tour operators and car rentals. Travel
agencies have seen a sharp drop in business.
The drop in reservations is not going to be
felt during Semana Santa, but for the next
couple of months. Canatur officials say that
between April, May and June, the number of
reservations are about 70% lower than the
same period last year, when Costa Rica
experienced a boom in tourism, receiving the
highest number of tourists, over 2 million,
in a single year.
Only less than 2% of the tourism businesses
polled said they showed an increase in
visitors.
To promote local touris, Canatur offers the
program "Redescubre tu país a un precio
chiqui-tico" (rediscover your country for a
low price), which offers discounts of up to
20% on hotels, tours, car rentals, etc.
Canatur says the program will be extended to
April 20.
The president of Canatur, Gonzalo Vargas,
said that the tourism industry has to start
being more creative to attract visitors. For
instance, offering a free cocktail or free
internet or extra nigth free are some of the
ways hotel operators can attract and keep
visitors, said Vargas. |
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