From January to June of this year, 1,532,443 tourists visited Costa Rica by air, representing an increase of 14.5% compared to the same period in 2023.
A total of 994,292 tourists arrived through the Juan Santamaría International Airport, and 537,823 through the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste. A total of 1,153,703 tourists arrived by air from North America, 18% higher than the 2023 figure, broken down as follows: United States 947,299 tourists; Canada 163,048; and Mexico 43,356 tourists.
The growth in tourist figures from Europe from January to June meant the arrival of 233,480 tourists, a positive variation of 3.5% compared to the first half of the previous year. The main European source markets showed the following behaviour in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023: France 43,915 tourists (up 9.7%); Germany 40,695 tourists (up 3.4%) and the United Kingdom 39,117 tourists (up 5.5% compared to the first half of 2023).
Additionally, we received 7.3% more Spaniards with the arrival of 22,838 nationals of that country and 15,185 Dutch nationals (up 6.3%) compared to the first six months of 2023. It is important to highlight that 92% of tourist arrivals to the country are made through international airports, a very encouraging first half of the year: the Juan Santamaría air terminal handled 9.3% more tourists than the first half of last year and Daniel Oduber received 25% more tourists.
Scenarios for the end of the year Mathematical models allow us to estimate that we will end the year 2024 with around 2.8 million international tourist arrivals to Costa Rica by air. Likewise, a greater number of seats available by airlines is foreseen compared to 2023, as a result of the arrival of new flights, routes and airlines such as the Brazilian GOL, which will begin flying to our country on three direct weekly flights from Sao Paulo starting in November.
“The outstanding results of the first half of 2024, with more than 1.5 million tourists arriving in Costa Rica by air, show a dynamic, growing and solid tourism sector. With the expectation of reaching approximately 2.8 million tourists by the end of the year, driven by the expansion of routes and the incorporation of new airlines such as GOL from Brazil, we reaffirm our commitment to the economic well-being of all those who depend directly or indirectly on this activity. Costa Rica is a mature tourist destination that generates prosperity and opportunities in every corner of the country,” said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.