Costa Rica released its estimates for visitor numbers for 2007 yesterday. They expect 1.9 million visitors to enter by the end of the day on Dec. 31. That's up from 1.6 million in 2006. They're attributing the increase to the addition of flights from existing airlines, as well as those from seven new airlines that began service this year.

Tourist profile:

Average age = 43
Average length of stay = 11 days
Average amount spent during visit = $1,200

From United States = 54%
From Canada = 12%
From Europe = 16%

Most frequent positives mentioned by visitors = nature and the people, followed by volcanoes and beaches

Most frequent negatives mentioned by visitors = the poor state of the roads (Yes!), crime, airport congestion

Ah, and still about half the people traveling to Costa Rica will say that they want to go to places that are not "touristy." Say what? One-quarter of the people in the entire country at any given time are TOURISTS! And you want to go to a place that isn't "touristy"?

Might I suggest Paraguay?

Well, that number is not all there at the same time.

Some destinations in Costa Rica are quite busy with tourists, and I know people who enjoy that "resort-y" level of activity. Other places in the country offer that perfect get-away-from-it-all solitude for those who don't prefer crowds. That's the nice thing about Costa Rica: you have a real variety, and there is something for everybody.

Still, Costa Rica has not succumbed to the resort approach to tourism, where you fly people in for a week, house them at a big resort (which they rarely venture out of), and fly them out when the week is over. That does exist, but the number of places like that is still small. It isn't Cancun or Acapulco. I admire Costa Rica for providing a different product than the mass-beach type of tourism that Mexico has perfected. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that Costa Rica's beaches aren't as nice as Mexico's. It'll keep the offering smaller.

At the press conference where the year's statistics were released, they also stated that the target is 2.3 million visitors by 2012. I give them credit for keeping the goal realistic.

Wow!

Back in the early 90's it was a lot more Canadians who visited....
They all go to Cuba and Panama now, lol!

We've fallen in love with Panama, but STILL love Costa Rica!

Bellaboo AKA "faithie"

In fact the area of Panama we were in last week was very similar to Costa Rica, we actually weren't far from the border...

Interesting stats, Jeff. Thanks for sharing!

So was there any discussion on addressing the items on the 'negative' list?

As more and more tourists visit the country, I would think those issues will become more problematic for the Costa Rican government. I hope they are planning for the future, because the country has certainly won me over and I hope to make several more visits in the coming years!

This is an annual end-of-year ritual, cmerrell, and the whole thing is mostly quite predictable. They release the numbers a few days before Christmas. That's the big unknown that everybody awaits with much anticipation. (There was no growth from 2005 to 2006. Both those years were 1.6 million, and that shocked everybody. You could almost hear the sigh of relief that numbers went up this year.) Then they give the profile of the "typical" visitor. That doesn't change much from year to year. Then they talk about the positives. Then come the negatives, with everybody saying, "We have to do something about the roads and the airport and crime." I have a feeling they will be saying the same things a year from now.

What was new this year was the actual stating of a goal for five years in the future. I don't remember that from this event in past years.