Costa Rica News – 2016 has had a very good high season. The hotels and tour operators are reporting occupancy rates of over 85% in various areas.
This has improved compared to the peak season in 2015, which was at 71%.
The economic situation in Costa Rica as well as the stability in the US and Europe are factors that may have contributed to the jump in tourists. Another possibility is the effect of campaigning efforts done over the last few years to promote Costa Rica as a tourist destination.
Last year, 40% of visitors came from the US and 15% from Europe. A total of 1,077,044 tourists entered the country. There is also local tourism, which mainly flocks to the Central Pacific due to its close proximity to the city.
Guanacaste is the region with the highest occupancy, at 90%. Some rooms are booked a year in advance for the period that goes from the third week of December through April.
Low season rates are significantly different and some suggest to fill the gap by promoting rural tourism, mountain sports and bird watching because rain is great for these types of experiences.
