Where do the tourists who visit Costa Rica come from? These were their original home countries in 2022

Data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), based on information from the Directorate General of Immigration and Immigration (DGME), shows that from January to October 2022 Almost 1.9 million foreign tourists have arrived in the countrynearly double the same period in 2021, but nearly 700,000 fewer than in 2019.

In those 10 months of 2022, the country from which the largest number of tourists came was the United States, with just over a million, or about 56% of the total.

Which countries did Ticos travel to the most during 2022? These are my favorite destinations

Canada and Germany complete Top three. Nicaragua and Panama also appear within the top ten, due to having a fixed entrance to land. If these two countries are excluded, Guatemala and Switzerland enter the group of major assets for tourists.

From South America, most of those who visit Costa Rica are Colombians, since 20,367 tourists from this country arrived on the national territory in that period. In the case of the Caribbean, tourists from the Dominican Republic are the most common, with nearly 3,000 Dominicans having traveled to Costa Rica.

From Asia more tourists arrive from India, with 4,881 visitors; While from the Middle East, the Lebanese were the most tourists in Costa Rica, with a total of 139 people.

In Africa, 1,369 South African tourists make this country the country that attracts the largest number of tourists to Costa Rica on the continent.

Sansa will connect San Jose and Managua on its first international route

Some of these countries show a Almost complete recovery Compared to pre-pandemic figures for 2019.

From the United States, for example, that arrived between January and October 2022. Only 3.5% fewer tourists Compared to the same period in 2019. There is also a difference between Germany and the United Kingdom of 3%.

Other European countries such as Spain and France rank far behind, while the most positive numbers come from the Netherlands It has already reached the number of visitors for 2019and Switzerland, which registered rather 10% more tourists than in the first ten months of that year.

On the contrary, the countries of Central America and Mexico still have a long way to go in approaching the visit of 2019, with a reduction of more than 40%.

This can be seen in the available ICT data March is the month with the highest number of tourist arrivals While September least visited.

These are all five-star hotels in Costa Rica, according to ICT

More spending

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Although data for 2022 is not yet available, average per capita spending (GMP) has increased in the past three years.

In 2021, each tourist spent an average of about $1,500 during their stay, but that amount rises to $1,565 when it comes to tourists arriving by air only. They spend nearly five times more than those entering through land borders.

If you look at airports, it’s the tourists who enter via Daniel Oduber Air Terminal, in Liberia, who leave with the biggest income, spending nearly $300 more in 2021 than those who arrived via Juan Santamaria.

ICT obtains this data through various mechanisms. For example, traditional aerial surveys, personal interviews, and online inquiries are conducted at local airports.