Costa Rica received 1.3 million tourists in the first half of 2023 and shows growth by air

During the first semester of this year, the country received 1,338,303 tourists by air, meaning an increase of 19.4% compared to the figures for the same period in 2022 and exceeding the numbers of 2019, when they arrived in that year. same period 1,336,687 travelers.

This is clear from the data provided by the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration, and processed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). The ICT presented this Thursday in a meeting with the press the results of visitation for the first six months of the year. The presentation included data on the airlines operating in the country, the number of seats scheduled for the month of August to Costa Rica, Costa Rican departures and scenarios for the end of 2023.
                                                                                                   
Likewise, an update of the National Tourism Plan 2022-2027 was shown with the novelty that as of this semester, the ICT will focus the analysis of tourist figures on entry by air, since 90% of tourist arrivals to the country are given in this way and the decisions of the promotion and marketing strategies are based on it.

“Our recovery is solid, as shown by the figures for the first half of 2023, and the effects of the pandemic are felt less intensely throughout the value chain of the tourism sector, an achievement of joint work between the public and private sectors. . We are aware that not all regions or all companies have recovered in the same way, which is why we continue to make all the necessary efforts to support them," said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.

During the month of June 2023, the airway registered the arrival of 202,235 tourists, of which 142,025 entered through the Juan Santamaría International Airport and 60,177 through Guanacaste Airport, representing an increase of 10.1% and 5.5 % respectively compared to the homologous month of 2022.

Positive semi-annual indicators

In the first six months of 2023, the arrival of 977,783 tourists by air was registered from North America, a figure 21% higher than the figure for 2022. By country, we added 792,944 visitors from the United States, from Canada 148,973 tourists and 35,866 people from Mexico; which makes the growth compared to the previous year in double digits. During the first semester, arrivals from Europe, as a region, increased by 9.3% compared to the same period in 2022 and we recorded the arrival of 225,617 tourists.

The main markets showed the following behavior and growth, the first six months of the year. Compared to the same period in 2022: France 40,016 (13.1%), United Kingdom 37,006 (2.2%), Germany 39,369 (19.7%), Spain 21,293 (1.8%), The Netherlands 14,280 (20.1%) and Switzerland 13,610 (-1.1%).

Coupled with this, the average spending and stay of tourists visiting Costa Rica increased and, during the year 2022, it was US$ 1,590 and 13.5 nights, surpassing destinations such as Spain, Mexico, Bahamas, Peru, Panama, among others, according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Regarding the number of available seats scheduled by the airlines to Costa Rica, 399,948 were registered in July and 376,426 for August, both projections exceeding the figures for 2019 and 2022, and confirming the confidence of the airlines in the destination. From the United States, our main source market for tourists, 191,460 seats are scheduled for the month of July and 171,626 for August, numbers above those registered before the pandemic and last year.

In the section on trips abroad made by Costa Ricans in the first half of 2023, a total of 555,153 Costa Ricans traveled. The preferred destinations for nationals were the United States and Mexico, together with other European and South American countries. According to projections, the trips of Costa Ricans abroad will exceed the figures for 2022 and those prior to the pandemic, a situation that generates confidence in the flight schedule and maintain the number of seats of the airlines that currently fly to our country.

Regarding the employment indicator, according to the most recent data from the Continuous Employment Survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Census, tourism generated 158,810 direct jobs in the first quarter of 2023. A recovery stands out in the areas of accommodation and transportation compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Finally, another value to highlight is the perception of satisfaction with the destination, which is 81.2 by the tourists who visited us, according to the research source MABRIAN, service of tourist intelligence that allows the incorporation of the analysis of global and updated data to the decision-making process in the tourism sector.