Harper College Associate Biology Professor Craig Stettner died on Christmas day while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. Stettner had arrived in Costa Rica a few days before he was to lead a Study-Abroad Course for Harper students from January 3-13, doing field research in the Costa Rican Rainforest. Stettner had conducted this very popular course for Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, for the...

FlightNetwork put together a list of the World’s Best Beaches for 2018 with the help of over 1200 journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies around the world who specialize in travel. Among the top 50 best beaches in the world, Manuel Antonio Beach in Quepos, Puntarenas takes position 29, while three other beaches make the Central America and Caribbean top 50 beaches, these are: Conchal in Gua...

Costa Rica is the perfect place to escape from the cold winter of North America and Europe this time of the year. The high season has arrived in Costa Rica and will continue for the next four months, for as long as the perfect sunny days continue. The Juan Santamaria Airport expects close to 2.5 million travelers during this high season, 13 airlines increase their frequencies during these mont...

Three thieves pointed a firearm to a group of 23 tourists who were tourinr the Tortuguero River in Pococí, Limón, and stole their belongings. The foreign tourists left the sector of Pavona and were navigating the river the morning of this Saturday, December 22, when they were intercepted by three men that came out of the mountain area. The Public Police Force conducted a search, but this i...

Travel & Leisure Magazine posted their list of 50 Best Places to Travel to in 2019 and included in the list is the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. ¨With its beach-meets-jungle coastline, splendid array of biodiversity, and climate as warm as the locals, it's no wonder Costa Rica's northwestern corner became an early paragon of ecotourism. That's a lot of paradise to protect. Now, Guanac...

Las Catalinas located in Playa Dante, Guanacaste will have a new hotel in February 2019, Santarena, part of the expansion plans of independent hotel brand Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Santarena is a “bohemian gem” that promises to offer guests “unparalleled world-class service” and “one-of-a-kind experiences”. "Costa Rica, with its fantastic year-round climate, lush landscape, secluded be...

This Saturday, December 16, the first JetBlue Mint flight arrived at the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia, Guanacase, from New York; even though this connection already existed, the modality of the new flights (Mint) is one of the novelties in arrivals to Liberia since its one of the most exclusive international services. Liberia became, the first city in Latin America to offer Mint, JetBlue is...

Did you know that water accidents are the second cause of accidental death in Costa Rica? This is why, authorities of the Costa Rica Tourism Board are working on installing new warning signs at 100 beaches, that were selected as the most visited by national and foreign tourists and that are known to have a high level of risk due the presence of rip currents. The works will continue through this...

The Costa Rican Tourism Board declared the Fiestas Típicas Nacionales de Santa Cruz 2019 (National Traditional Party of Santa Cruz), which will be celebrated January 14 through January 20, 2019, of “public interest”. This traditional activity carried out in the county of Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, has gained popularity in the country, in particular due to the Costa Rican style bullfighting. I...

Using the slogan “taking care of one another is in our nature”, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) launched a new tourist safety campaign on Wednesday, to coincide with Costa Rica’s main tourist period, with high numbers of visitors from abroad as well as local tourists. The publicity components were shown in the opening ceremonies of the XX Tourism Safety Congress, an event held by the Nation...

W Hotel Reserva Conchal by Marriott opened its doors this November 28th in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, this is the brand’s first hotel in Costa Rica and Central America. Elements of the Costa Rican culture are present everywhere in the hotel, “Plugged into and buffered from it all, standing tall between beautiful beaches and the mangroves, W Costa Rica brings a fresh spin to a Costa Rica adventure...

Over 10,000 local operations have been recorded in the six months following the inauguration of the San Jose Domestic Terminal, representing a total of 50,000 passengers arriving and departing from the terminal between May 14 to October 31 of this year. Starting in early November, the supply of regular local flights was strengthened by the launch of Costa Rica Green Airways, a Costa Rican-owned...

Aerobell Airlines began operations as a domestic airline in Costa Rica back on July 24 this year, flying to seven destinations: Tortuguero, Tamarindo, Tambor, Quepos, Drake Bay, La Fortuna (Arenal) and Puerto Jimenez, and now, it has confirmed the inauguration of four new routes: Nosara, Liberia, Golfito in Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro in Panama. The Costa Rican owned company has over 30 years...

The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) in Costa Rica continues to investigate the circumstances of the rafting accident that occurred back in October 20 in Naranjo River, Quepos that took the lives of five people, 4 US tourists and 1 Costa Rican tour guide. The company that provided the rafting tour service to the 14 US tourists is Quepoa Expeditions, according to the company’s website they ...

It has been one month since they lost their sons in a tragic rafting accident in Costa Rica, the parents of the victims want answers and complain of the lack of regulations and controls in the adventure tourism sector in the country. Fourteen friends traveled from Florida to Costa Rica back in October 18 to celebrate a bachelor party, but only 10 of them went back alive, the other four tragical...

Costa Rican tourism business leaders will be trained on security and innovation issues during the XX National Tourism Congress (CNT), an event being organized by the National Chamber of Tourism in collaboration with the Costa Rican Tourism Board on November 21-22 in the Costa Rica Convention Center. The CNT is the largest event for the country's tourism sector, bringing together leaders and rep...

A report by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) shows that the Tourism Industry contributes a 6.3% to the country’s GDP. “To put into perspective the size of the tourism industry in the country, it can be compared to other economic activities. In this way, for example, the IT industry represented a 2.2% of the GDP, the production of electricity contributed a 2.1%, the manufacturing of medical...

The first edition of the Turrialba Tourism Festival is a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this county, while trying good food, purchasing products from local artisans and learning more about the region’s tourist attractions, all in a single place, in a festive and family-friendly environment. The activity, organized by the Turrialba Chamber of Tourism, will take place on Saturday, Nove...

Cahuita National Park in the Costa Rican Caribbean will become the first “inclusive beach” with a ramp that will facilitate access for the disabled population through the building of walkways on the sand made of recycled plastic bottle lids. The structures made of recyclable material will make Costa Rica the first country with accessible beaches in the Central American region, but most importa...

Avianca announced it will be adjusting the itineraries of flights to and from Costa Rica in order to “improve the service offered to clients”. “The schedule will begin earlier. We are looking to benefit travelers by arriving in a schedule were airports are less crowded, and in this way optimize their time in the air terminals”, explains the press release. The changes will be implemented star...

Fourteen friends arrived in Costa Rica on October 18 with the idea of celebrating one of their friends bachelor party , tragedy met them in Costa Rica and only 10 of them will be returning to Miami alive, each of them lost four of their friends in the rafting accident that took place Saturday, October 20 on the Naranjo River in Quepos when three of their rafts capsized. Anthony Castro, one of ...

The Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica, Maria Amalia Revelo, called on all tour operators to respect the recommendations of the National Emergency Commission (CNE) and take all necessary measures to ensure the security of foreign and national tourists, her statement came after the tragic rafting accident that took place on Saturday, October 20 and where five people died, four American tourists and ...

Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andrés Denis are the four US tourists that died on Saturday, October 20, when their rafts capsized in the Naranjo River in Quepos, Costa Rica, the victims were between the ages of 25 and 35. The fifth victim whose body was found past 9 p.m. was a Costa Rican tour guide identified as Kevin Thompson Reid, 45 years of age. Apparently, Sierra, Caso...

The number of victims of the rafting accident at the Naranjo River in Quepos, Costa Rica went from four to five as the body of the fifth victim, one of the tour guides, was found by the rescue team past 9 p.m. this Saturday evening. According to authorities the fifth victim was one of the tour guides, while the other four victims whose bodies were recovered earlier, were all foreign tourists th...

Three rafts capsized in the Naranjo River in Naranjito de Quepos, Costa Rica at around 3:20 p.m this Saturday, October 20 causing the death of four foreign tourists ( now known to be American), one more is still missing, confirmed the Ministry of Public Security during a press conference held at 7 p.m. According to Luis Guzman from the Costa Rican Red Cross, thirteen other tourists were rescued...

Costa Rica was the site of the Bird Challenge 2018, and activity that took place between October 4 and October 12 as part of the “Ruta de Aves” (Bird Route) organized by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT). “Costa Rica stands out in the world being the home of over 900 species of birds in a territory of just 51,100 square kilometers, the country has more species of birds than the United Stat...

Three men, three women and a two-year-old girl, all native of Texas, United States, suffered the collateral effects of the ongoing protests in Costa Rica. The tourists were driving a van in Caldera, Puntarenas, when they got caught in the middle of a clash between the protesters that were blocking the road and the Police authorities that were forced to use tear gas to get them to move. One o...

Costa Rica’s Convention Center (CCCR) was elected as the site for the next World Congress of Veterinary Medicine, which is scheduled for April 27 to April 30 2019, this will be the first world congress that will be take place at the Convention Center. This event expects the participation of close to 1500 veterinarians. The event is organized by Comexp, Professional Congress Organization company...

Crocodile Bay Resort is a cozy 37 room, 4 star eco-adventure resort located in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica; this hotel, offers a variety of rainforest expeditions and “expertly crafted eco-tours” that promise a unique and unforgettable experience for national and international tourists. "Crocodile Bay Resort is a family-owned business with strong local roots. We are passionate about protect...

Despite the current difficult social climate in the Costa Rican Caribbean as a result of the ongoing labor strike, the third cruise ship of the season, the Carnival Fantasy, arrived to this port on Saturday with a total 2,064 tourists and 872 crew members. This ship, operated by US-British company Carnival Cruises, is the third of 110 cruise ships expected to arrive to Limon this season and whi...

The MS Maasdam, mid-size cruise ship of Holland America Line, arrived at the Golfito dock in the South Pacific of Costa Rica this week with 1,164 passengers aboard between tourists and crew; this is the first cruise that Golfito receives since its relaunching as tourism destination for mid-size cruise ships. Tourists were able to leave the ship and enjoy different cultural activities that had...

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), in coordination with Paniamor Foundation, officially launched the Action Manual for the Tourism Sector Companies this week and also recognized a group of 56 tourism companies for their commitment over 5 consecutive years to the Code of Conduct Program which has the goal to discourage and prevent, to the fullest extent possible, the commercial sexual exploitatio...

Aeris Holdings, administrator of the Juan Santamaria Airport in Costa Rica announced the investment of $3.8 million in technology to reinforce security, monitoring and surveillance of passengers and flights while improving efficiency. 20 self-service check-in kiosks, a new operations and communication center , the creation of a crisis response room, and free WiFi are part of what has been imple...

San Lucas Island in the Pacific holds great historic and cultural richness for Costa Rica, and it is also a beautiful place to visit; for these reasons, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC), are carrying out important efforts to strengthen the protection of the island, better the infrastructure for the park rangers and promote its ...

Two U.S. citizens, a man and a woman drowned today in a river waterhole known as El Salto de Belen, Nicoya, Guanacaste. According to preliminary information, the Red Cross received the alert at 11:35 a.m. this Wednesday, September 19; the foreigners were staying in a hotel in Samara and decided to visit this place to enjoy the fresh water and the waterfall. A witness stated to local media ...

The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, urged to protect the image of Costa Rica and defend the tourism industry, which represents the main source of income for the country. “The Costa Rican tourism industry is formed in its majority by small and medium size companies that in addition to generating wealth, they distribute it to thousands of families. Just last year income generated by tou...

The company Celebrity Cruises made the decision of canceling the arrival of cruise ship Infinity to Puntarenas scheduled for this Monday; this due to security concerns resulting from the labor strike that is going on its 8th day and has affected mainly the provinces of Limon and Puntarenas. The ship will continue its itinerary straight to Panama without making the scheduled stop in Costa Rica,...

Photo Credit: La Nacion/Shirley Vásquez The Costa Rican National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) calls on the establishment of dialogue, agreements and solutions to prevent any more negative effects over the productive sectors and the economy of the country, and, of course, the provision of basic services for citizens. According to information provided by Canatur, the general labor strike has alre...

Photo Credit: La Nacion/Shirley Vásquez Even though this Tuesday public institutions in Costa Rica report having been less affected than yesterday by the general labor strike, and a very low percentage of employees that joined the movement, some areas and people were still affected throughout the day mainly due to protesters marching in the middle of the roads. One of roads affected was the ...

In the midst of general labor strike that had the goal of paralyzing the country, the second cruise ship of the season docked at the Limon port with no problems; the Carnival Miracle, arrived with 2,031 passengers aboard originating from Tampa, Florida. “We are supervising that the cruise activity carries out normally”, stated Marlon Clarke, Manager of the Atlantic Zone Development and Port Adm...