The Government used its visit to Guanacaste for the celebration of the 193º anniversary of the Annexation of the Nicoya Party, to highlight the tourist movement in the area.
Authorities recalled that tourism boosts the social and economic development of the province and contributes to the reduction of poverty rates in the province.
According to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) in the first quarter of this year, tourism projects in Guanacaste total more than 116 billion colones in investments. This will represent, in its different stages, a about seven thousand jobs.
President Luis Guillermo Solís assured that the tourist activity is the spearhead for the promotion of the Costa Rican identity, the creation of entrepreneurships and productive chains and the growth of towns.
Mauricio Ventura, Tourism Minister, said that Guanacaste reflects that tourism represents the engine of social and economic development of this country.
It is incalculable to estimate the impact of tourism on the inhabitants of this province, their families and how they transformed their lives, because tourism in Guanacaste is a source of well-being and development,”
said Ventura.
In 2016, more than 570 thousand international arrivals were registered at Daniel Oduber Airport, which means an increase of almost 35% compared to 2015.
Of the total number of tourists who entered the country by air, almost 900,000 spent at least one night in Guanacaste, which represents more than 40% of the international arrivals.
The ICT counts 473 hosting companies and almost 11,600 rooms, which represents 20% of the lodging establishments and a quarter of the total of the rooms in the country.
In the last two years, three new airlines started flying to the Daniel Oduber airport, four new routes were created to destinations where it was not previously flown and two airlines increased their frequencies.
According to Ventura, one of the most relevant aspects of the strategy for attracting airlines in this region is reflected in the number of seats available.
By 2016, almost 785 thousand seats were available at Daniel Oduber, for a growth of around 55% compared to 2015.
This year brought the Discovery project, which will make an investment of 224 billion colones and produce two thousand new jobs in its construction phase and four thousand direct and indirect jobs when it opens. This project will begin the construction pahse in 2018 and will start operating in 2020.
This week, as part of his tour, President Solis signed a letter of commitment with the municipalities of Bagaces and La Cruz to promote the National Bird Route as an option to diversify tourism.
The ICT also wants to boost welfare tourism, with the new “Pure Wellness Life” strategy.
Guanacaste was the headquarters of the Ironman 70.3, with more than 2 thousand competitors of 40 nationalities and more than 30 thousand visitors.