Costa Rica’s travel and tourism industry is set to grow by about 5% in 2014, better than last year, with average spending by foreigners travelling to the country increasing sligly, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) – an international organization of travel industry executives promoting travel and tourism worldwide.
This year, revenue from intermational tourism should reach ¢1.318.100 million colones. Last year, international tourists left behind ¢1.295.900 million colones, the London-based council has said in its Economic Impact Report.
Tourism Minister, Allan Flores, said the numbers match the expectations of Costa Rica’s tourism sector.
According to Flores, Costa Rica expects 2.5 million tourists for 2014, an increase of 5% over 2013.
The WTTC report also forecasts a growth in the number of direct and indirect jobs that will generate activity and capital investment in the industry. The study estimates that by 2024 Costa Rica will receive more than 3.3 tourists annually.
Isabel Vargas, president of the Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur) – National Tourism Chamber – is positive, saying the projections by the interantional body are achievable and may be even better.
“We expect that and more. This growth will depend on the incoming government to maintain competitiveness of the sector”, said Vargas.
Attracting new airlines, strenghtening the domestic tourism and improvements in economic conditions are some of the challenges faces by Canatur, meanwhile, the government works on strengthening the country’s international presence in tourism fairs.
The figures in this article don’t add up. The amount projected for total tourist spending constitutes only a 1.5% increase over last year (less than the anticipated inflation rate); and I wonder if these projections took into account the gains in the value of the US dollar. which is already up about 8% over the exchange rate held for the past few years, and could change that minor increase to a significant decrease in total tourist dollars. A 5% increase in the number of tourists is only bad news unless they spend significantly more than a smaller number did last year.