The Costa Rican National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) has indicated that the leisure industry in the country is beginning to show positive signs of recovery following negative impact felt from the 9/11 attacks in the US.
CANATUR’s Alberto Lopez explained the recovery is also being witnessed in the airline industry where larger numbers of tourist arrivals continue, compared to 2002. A raise in fares has consequently led to higher earnings.
In the case of airlines, one hundred percent of those who took the poll assured the sale of plane tickets accrued, while 64 percent of car rental dealers staged a visible comeback.
Though two thirds of hoteliers admitted occupancy rates have not done as well as they expected, rooms were booked at a much higher price.
Agustin Monge, chairman of Costa Rica`s Hotel Chamber, pointed out that there has been a change of attitude in the part of travelers who prefer recreational to commercial tourism. This means visitors do not utilise hotel facilities as frequently as before, instead opting to choose more and more tours. This puts both tour and transport operators in a much stronger position.
Tourism accounts for one of Costa Rica’s top profit industries acquiring as much as US$1 billion per annum. The vast majority of the near one million visitors hail from the US.
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