Starting December 18 and through April 25, 2020, an Air Transat Airbus A321LR will connect Vancouver, Canada to San José and Liberia in Costa Rica. Tickets went on sale starting June 6 and will be offered twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, leaving Vancouver at 6:30 a.m. and arriving to Liberia, Guanacaste at 5:25 p.m. making an 80 minute stop at the Juan Santamaría Airport in San José. The...

Soon you will be able to camp in style overlooking the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, San Carlos, Costa Rica, glamping “glamourus camping” will arrive to this popular tourist destination by December 2019 by way of Nayara Tented Camp, a new option by award winning Nayara Resorts. The concept, inspired on the tented camps in Africa and Asia, is designed by Luxury Frontiers and will include a total...

Costa Rica is hosting the Central American Cruise Conference for the first time from May 22 through May 24. The biannual event, organized by the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), has the participation of 250 cruise industry professionals and 16 executives from the world’s leading cruise lines. This is 5th edition, of this event meant promote a better understanding of the work of ...

American Airlines will add, starting December 18, another daily flight from Dallas, Texas to two Costa R Rican destinations, the Juan Santamaria Airport and the Daniel Oduber Airport. Both flights will be scheduled during the evening (red-eye) and involve the use of a B737-800 plane with capacity for 172 passengers. “These new services between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Jose and Liberia, Gua...

With over 230 international purchasers, Expotur 2019 will kick off on May 9 in the Costa Rica Convention Center. These delegates represent companies from 35 different countries, where they will be promoting Costa Rica as a destination. The increasing flow of tourists to Costa Rica as well as the convenient visa process and existing air connections are determining factors for the committee that ...

Air Canada airlines announced it will increase its flights to Costa Rica by extending the 2019 season into September and October. The season, which is beginning this month, was initially to be put on hold for these two months and resumed in November and December. However, the company decided to fly from April to December without interruptions. During these two additional months, Air Canada will fl...

When dining out in Costa Rica knowing where to go is important. Let me take the guess work out for you. Nestled on the main strip in Manuel Antonio (Waze) with a menu fueled from inspiration culled from the coasts of Thailand - Samui Thai Restaurant is one you most definitely want to visit. The indoor/outdoor venue features a retro-chic aesthetic, decked out with wooden accents, industrial ceiling...

Costa Rica will be adding its National Park number 29, announced the Minister of Environment and Energy, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez. The new protected area is located in Miravalles, Guanacaste, and it will be named after Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón (1918-1922), founder of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), Vice-President of Costa Rica (1986-1990) and minister (1982-1986), expert in Natura...

The joint efforts of public institutions, the community and private companies lead to the lifting of the sanitary restriction the Manuel Antonio National Park held, and with this the visitation to this park, the most visited in Costa Rica, was reactivated, for a maximum allowed of 2,700 people a day. “The Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) managed to make improvements to the wastewat...

A mobile app to monitor waves and tides, an agreement to hire lifeguards, and a digital advertising campaign are part of the first stage of the strategy announced by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) to prevent drownings on beaches. The app "MIOCIMAR" (available in Play Store for Android or App Store for iOS) in English and Spanish contains seven-day forecasts of surf currents, wave forecasts...

The National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) has warned national and foreign tourists who are visiting the different Costa Rican beaches during this Holy Week to watch out for the presence of crocodiles. SINAC authorities explained that the presence of these reptiles in the area close to the estuaries is normal and recommend to stay alert and in the event of spotting one of these animal...

The Government of Costa Rica presented its plan “Route of Reactivation of San Lucas Island”, with the objective of generating a tourism destination that potentiates the cultural, historic and natural advantages that this site offers. San Lucas Island is located off the Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica, 5.4 miles from Puntarenas, and has an area of less than 500 hectares. This island is famous in C...

The first two months of 2019 showed an increase of 7.8% in international arrivals in comparison to the same two months of 2018. A total of 499,693 international visitors arrived during January and February 2019, the highest numbers in the past six years. In January there were a total 248,754 foreign visitors arriving through the Juan Santamaria and Daniel Oduber International Airport, an incre...

According to the Latinobarómetro Corporation, a non-profit public survey company located in Providencia, Chile, Costa Rica has the highest percentage of Facebook and WhatsApp users in Latin America. The study found that 77% of the population uses Facebook, while 83% uses WhatsApp. This percentage was much higher than in countries with larger populations. Costa Rica’s population is roughly 5 millio...

The Sloth Institute of Costa Rica (TSI) is the headquarters for the cutest animals on the planet. They were founded in 2014 with the mission of “enhancing the welfare of captive and wild sloths through research and education.” They are a non-profit institution based in Manuel Antonio, supported completely by donations. TSI is truly leading the world in sloth research, especially the study of 3-toe...

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) will include in its budget for 2020. 2021 and 2022, $500,000 USD each year, with the purpose of setting up a .lifeguard project in several of the most dangerous beaches in the country, the project is an strategic alliance with the Red Cross and the Firefighting Department. Additionally, the Board of Directors of ICT approved and agreement with the Costa Rican...

Costa Rican ports have received 203 vessels to date during the 2018-2019 cruise ship season, which began last year on August 23 with the arrival of the Sea Princess out of Key West, United States, and her 1,870 passengers to JAPDEVA’s Hernán Garrón Salazar terminal in Limón. In the next four months, another 46 boats are expected to set in to the five main ports in the country: Limón, Caldera, Q...

Attracting Costa Ricans and visitors to stay in Sarapiquí and Turrialba to enjoy their numerous tourist attractions and stay overnight in these destinations rather than simply traveling through them—this is the objective of the six projects negotiated between the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and local actors of Sarapiquí, Turrialba and Jiménez as part of the Comprehensive Management of Tourist ...

For the first time since the Ecological Blue Flag (EBF) program was launched for the beaches category, a record number of 118  beaches have attained this award thanks to the organized efforts of the committees in each of the coastal communities to achieve sustainable beaches with tourism features on the Costa Rican Pacific and Caribbean coasts. The announcement was made this morning by the Cost...

The Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) with the collaboration of the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) are taking measures to improve the conditions at the Manuel Antonio National Park, the most visited National Park in the country. The existing system to purchase entry tickets, long lines to access the park, the recurring problems ...

The airlines that connect Europe with Costa Rica – seven of them through direct flights- expressed their satisfaction to the Costa Rican Tourism Board regarding the results obtained in the past months as a result of their operations in the country; they also voiced their surprise with the acceptance that the destination has had in the markets served. “Back in 2006, Costa Rica only had one indi...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board and the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) signed a new strategy for the search and promotion of foreign investment projects in the tourism sector that have to do with the respect to the authenticity, values and cultural tradition of national communities. “We will support self-projects of orange economy, those industries that support culture as an engin...

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) announced the official formation and legal induction of the members of the National Commission of Tourist Guides (CONAGUITUR), an inter-institutional agency with representatives from the public and private sectors, which will establish and monitor a training program for certified guides. CONAGUITUR is overseen by the ICT and is also made up of the Costa Rican...

The Upala airfield is now looking completely renovated after an investment of almost $2 million USD made by the Technical Council of Civil Aviation (CETAC) and the General Direction of Civil Aviation (DGAC). The Upala airfield had suffered severe deterioration after Otto Hurricane in November 2016; an intervention was necessary to fix and improve the conditions of the airfield. “The administ...

Monday, February 11, at 1:51 a.m. the Poas Volcano in Alajuela, Costa Rica, registered an eruption with a column that reached 200 meters above the crater and 2,908 meters above sea level (9,538.24 ft.) this was a passive eruption that continued on through the early morning hours. The eruption also showed the presence of incandescent material. The direction of the winds is causing the gases and ...

Costa Rica was included among the 5 Easiest, Most Welcoming Retirement Havens in the World by International Living Magazine. "A new report from International Living points to the top 5 retirement destinations across the globe where it’s easiest to fit in. The Fitting-in category of the 2019 Annual Global Retirement Index studies the character of the expat community, how easy it is for a single...

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is in the process of designing a new indicator to measure the arrival of tourists to the country. For this, ICT signed a cooperation agreement with the General Directorate of Migration (DGME) that will allow them to receive every month a higher level of detail of the international migratory flow of people in Costa Rica. Since 1958 and to date, ICT has estimat...

For the first time, Costa Rica will host the 2019 Social Tourism Encounter of the Americas from June 12-15. The official announcement was made at Fitur, an international trade fair being held in Madrid, Spain. Costa Rican Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo made the announcement alongside officials from the International Social Tourism Organization (ISTO), represented by Inés Ayala Sender, IST...

Wearing T-shirts that read: “Costa Rica Tourism = Death” -Irresponsible Government -Doesn’t Apply the Law -No Licenses -No security measures -No rescue measures The parents of three of the foreign victims of a rafting accident that occurred last October in Costa Rica, protested during a tourism fair in New York City and another one in Spain. The tragic accident occurred when a gro...

The Minister of Tourism, María Amalia Revelo and the president of airline company Iberia, Luis Gallego, signed a promotion agreement for Costa Rica in Europe. The announcement was made during the 2019 International Tourism Fair (Fitur). Revelo stated that this agreement will tighten the friendship of Costa Rican tourism with one of the most strategic allies in Spain. “The signing of this agree...

The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, took part of the XXII Ibero-American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Businesses (CIMET), an event held in the run-up to the official program of activities of Fitur 2019 in Madrid, Spain. Participants from Latin America, Spain and Portugal shared their advances and innovations in the tourism industry. They also discussed new trends in a highly conn...

Civil Aviation in Costa Rica invested almost $5.7 million USD in the intervention of the Drake airport in Osa, Puntarenas, the updates were inaugurated by President Carlos Alvarado Wednesday January 17th. Tourism is the main economic activity in Drake, a region known for its lush raw nature. The project consisted of construction of a new 250 square meter terminal (2798.62 ft.), a platform to pa...

Southern Explorations, specializing in crafting custom small-group trips and itineraries to Latin America, has freshly completed an in-depth scouting mission of Costa Rica's most under-explored regions with the goal of crafting new custom trips and itineraries to the country. "Most tourism activities have only scratched the surface of what's actually out there in Costa Rica," explains Justin L...

Costa Rica is the perfect place to escape from the cold Canadian winter, if you have not booked your flight yet and were waiting for a good price to do so, this is the right time, you can find deals for as little as $239.99 USD ($318.80 CAD). The flights, leaving from Toronto and arriving at Liberia, Guanacaste are operated by United Airlines with a short stop in Houston and there are also some...

Costa Rica is known for its many beautiful beaches both in the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, however, contamination is always a concern. One of the programs that have been implemented in the country to inform tourists of beaches that are safe to swim in is the Ecological Blue Flag program, which gives beaches 3 to 5 stars to certify their commitment with sustainable development and depending on ho...

Costa Rica took a big hit over the holidays with female tourists and visitors. Women were murdered in Costa Rica – brutally and viciously – with the most famous being the Venezuelan/American from Miami, Carla Stefaniak, who visited in December to celebrate her birthday. She was found partially buried behind the Airbnb she was visiting, and the hotel security guard stands accused of her murder. ...

A plane crash, several tourist murders, robberies and a rafting accident, are just part of the tragic events involving tourists that stained Costa Rica’s reputation as a safe tourism destination last year and that forced authorities in the country to evaluate security and procedures to protect visitors. After all, tourism is the country’s main economic activity. Gianfranco Pescosolido, an Itali...

A thirteen year old girl of US nationality died tragically after being struck by a falling tree branch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Varablanca, Heredia. The young girl, was transferred in grave condition by air ambulance to the Mexico Hospital in San José, however, she passed away hours later as a result of the head injury she presented. Apparently, the accident occurred when a tree fell a...

International Living published their 2019 Global Retirement Index, which scores the world´s top 25 retirement destinations across 13 categories, including, including cost of living, governance, retiree benefits, climate and healthcare, among many other aspects that are important for those looking for a place to retire. ¨This yearly Index examines safe, good-value destinations beyond the U.S. or...

Travel Weekly online magazine, announced the winners of its 16th annual Readers Choice Awards; the awards are presented in 78 different categories ranging from hotels to tours, cruise lines and much more. Costa Rica took the first place as the best travel destination in Central and South America. This year's winners were announced at the Readers Choice Awards Gala at the Conrad New York o...