QCOSTARICA — Starting in July, the Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec, Air Transat, will fly from Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to the Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia, two times a week on Wednesdays and Sundays and from Toronto (YYZ) on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
“This will imply growth in this market and particularly in north-central Canada,” said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.
Typically Air Transat operates flights to Costa Rica only during the winter season (November – April).
“Canada is our second source market for tourists to Costa Rica, it has been growing significantly and we have been developing promotional actions focused on said market, addressing the specific tastes and preferences of Canadians,” added Rodríguez.
In addition to Montreal and Toronto on Air Transat and Air Canada, Canadian visitors can fly to and from the western cities of Edmonton on WestJet and Calgary on Sunwing.
In 2023, 242,970 Canadian tourists entered by air. During the first four months of this year, a total of 143,076 Canadian tourists have visited Costa Rica, according to the most recent data from the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rica’s tourism board.
The interest of Costa Ricans in Canada is also increasing. According to the ICT, travel of Costa Ricans to Canada grew by 129% in the last year, given that Canada does not require a travel visa for Costa Ricans who have a visa to the United States.
