Air travel expanded its dominance as the main port of entry to Costa Rica, experiencing an increase of 13 percentage points from 2019 to 2023. In 2019, 77 out of every 100 international tourists entered Costa Rica by plane. Four years later, in 2023, there were 90 out of every 100.
This notable increase in the preference for air travel is attributed to a combination of factors such as restrictions by other means of entry into the country during the pandemic, convenience and specific situations. of neighboring countries today. In addition, the 2,471,150 arrivals by air in 2023 represent an increase of 2.2% compared to that same segment in 2019 - the pre-pandemic year - when arrivals were 2,418,300, while compared to the 2,117 960 arrivals by air in 2022, growth in 2023 was 16.7%.
"The Costa Rican Tourism Institute has precisely directed the promotion and advertising strategies of the destination in the main tourist issuing markets. Although challenges persist, we recognize these achievements, because without the meticulous attention that has been provided, the situations that have affected the sector in the midst of the worst crisis in its history would be considerably more severe," said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.
It is also notable that the main source markets in North America presented upward trends in 2023 compared to 2019: United States United States (11.6%) and Canada (11%).In Europe, markets such as Germany (12%), Austria (10.9%), Netherlands (3.3%) and Switzerland (3.2%) contributed in 2023 to the observed dynamism, while France and Spain maintain negative variations in the air route (-4.5% and -14.3% respectively). The land route, historically characterized by family visits, faces external effects that could impact the travel volume. Factors such as internal politics in neighboring countries or transport strikes may have influenced this segment during 2023. Entry by sea maintains a fluctuating behavior and does not represent more than 1% of total tourist arrivals. These routes together, although important, represent close to 10%. The demand profile continues to stand out for the diversity in the consumption of tourist products: adventure, nature, sun and beach, well-being and culture maintain their attractiveness, without notable variations.