Numerous have asked if Costa Rica is suffering economically from decreased travel or investment and house acquiring for as dollars-strapped foreigners deal with planet-wide economies suffering from greater oil fees and other regional troubles such as the U.S. household mortgage crisis.
It truly need to go devoid of saying that Costa Rica is unquestionably concerned – in distinct with fears of a complete-blown monetary recession in the United States. Following Where to Live in Costa Rica , Americans accounted for 54% of the 1.9 million guests that traveled to Costa Rica in 2007.
Just not also lengthy ago the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT) launched an aggressive $14 million dollar U.S. advertising and marketing and advertising and advertising campaign over the World-wide-internet and by way of a public relations agency hired in New York to promote Costa Rica as an exotic destination that is closer and substantially less high-priced than similarly marketed destinations such as Thailand and other Asian nations.
Europe is the second greatest industry for Costa Rica tourism, accounting for 17% of the guests. The majority of the European travelers are from Spain, Germany, France, England, and Italy. In addition to these nations, the ICT is intensifying publicity in the establishing markets of Russia, France and Switzerland. Promoting and advertising Costa Rica to Asian markets is on the agenda as nicely. Final year an agreement was signed with China, adding Costa Rica as a tourist location.
With so a number of diverse nations choosing Costa Rica as a 1st-tier trip place, the ICT predicts a tourist improvement cost of 6% in 2008. This in addition to the ten.15% boost achieved just final year.
Costa Rica as a Location for Entrepreneurs:
Surveys of Costa Rica vacationers indicate they are appropriately educated and devote considerable discretionary earnings on travel. The majority are adventurous with their options of activities and accommodations and program their private trips versus relying on travel agents. These mainly American vacationers are affluent, college educated with over 90% possessing bachelors or graduate degrees, middle aged, and married with no the require of the have to have of little ones living at dwelling. Their education and earnings levels indicate they are greater-finish travelers that are somewhat recession proof.
Activities in Costa Rica:
Conservative travel activities and moderate length of preserve are favored by the frequent Costa Rica traveler. The majority of the initially-time travelers favor Costa Rica added than any other Latin American place that they had visited mostly primarily based on Costa Rica’s ecotourism and its unspoiled atmosphere. The important activities of these travelers are:
* Ecotourism
* Sightseeing
* Beach and Waterfront Activities
Rank of Latin American Nations:
The truth that Costa Rica was ranked as the quantity-1 spot amongst Latin American nations indicates its present worldwide attractiveness as 1 certain of the worlds significant tourist destinations.
Rank of Globe-Wide Nations:
The United Nations Planet Tourism Organization (UNWTO) projects the boost in globe-wide international tourist arrivals to be about 3 percent for 2008 … even though projecting Costa Rica’s 2008 tourism boost to be about ten percent .
Costa Rica has been a member of the United Nations Globe Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for three years and in October, 2008 Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, was appointed to head the UNWTO Executive Council. “The appointment is a higher recognition of Costa Rica’s efforts in sustainable tourism. [Costa Rica] has turn into a model and leader in this arena,” stated Minister Benavides.
According to Minister Benavides “This position plays an crucial aspect inside the WTO as it assists to lead and approve … very important subjects such as poverty eradication by way of tourism in developing nations, fair monetary distribution, as appropriately as conversation, protection and enough use of organic sources.
Travel to Costa Rica:
Final year, seven new airlines began flying to Costa Rica 4 U.S. and 3 European. These new flight options represented an strengthen in 675,000 readily out there seats for a grand total of two.7 million annual airline seats to Costa Rica – which is a 33% improve over the last really a couple of years. Costa Rica is now functioning to attract two new low-price American airlines as proficiently as a giant European airline interested in adding Costa Rica as a new place.