From January to December of last year, Costa Rica received 2,661,488 tourists by air, representing an increase of 7.7% compared to the same period in 2023.
1,779,529 tourists entered through the Juan Santamaría International Airport, and 881,289 did so through the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste. This is equivalent to an increase of 4.6% and 14.5%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
From North America, 1,936,937 tourists arrived by air, 10.3% higher than the 2023 figure broken down as follows: The United States, with 1,587,138 tourists, our main source market for tourists, increased by 10.9% compared to 2023. From Canada, 257,395 tourists arrived, an increase of 5.9%, and from Mexico, 92,404 tourists arrived, that is, 12.7% more than in 2023.
The number of visitors from Europe, from January to December 2024, was 428,637 tourists, with a variation of -0.8%.
The main European source markets were Germany with the arrival of 73,654 tourists, followed by France with 70,426 tourists and the United Kingdom with 66,343. Spain was fourth with 54,145 tourists and the Netherlands was fifth with 31,746 travelers.
On the other hand, from South America there was an increase of 3.3% in the arrival of tourists, thanks to the entry of 126,770 people, coming mainly from Colombia (30,531 tourists), Argentina (25,009 tourists) and Brazil (20,102 tourists).
“The 7.7% growth in the arrival of tourists by air is a testimony to the attractiveness that Costa Rica has on a global level,” said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism. “This result reaffirms the solidity of our promotion strategy and the preference of visitors for our unique experiences. We have maintained a path of growth and will continue to innovate to diversify our markets and tourism products. Our commitment is to ensure that each visitor discovers the natural and cultural wealth that Costa Rica has to offer, promoting the sustainable development of our communities," added the official.
Source: ICT.