Costa Rica has been taking big and important steps towards becoming a sports tourism destination. The country’s particular characteristics, its many attractions, beautiful weather, safety, political stability, technology availability, together with the experience gained by organizing companies and the support offered by the government, have played a significant role in the growth of this industry...

If you are a fan of labyrinths Costa Rica offers several options for you, one of them is the Katira Labyrinth in Guatuso, Alajuela, the country’s biggest circular maze. The Katira labyrinth or Rafa’s Maze, covers 3,000 square meters, and it’s a fun stop if you are in the area of Rio Celeste since is just 1 kilometer away. Traveling from San Jose, it’s about a 4-hour drive. The record in find...

The non-governmental organization Volcanes Sin Fronteras (Volcanos without Borders) has suggested the possibility of creating geoparks in the areas involving the Poas, Turrialba and Irazu volcanoes with the purpose of reactivating the economy in these communities. As it has been reported recently, the closure of the Poas Volcano for more than a year now has resulted in losses not just for the N...

Costa Rica is a perfect spot for bird-watching, and it offers a number of great places where exotic and unique species of birds can be appreciated in their natural habitat, one of this places is the Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor in Quizarra, Perez Zeledon. This biological corridor also known as Los Cuisingos is managed by the Tropical Scientific Center, the land was donated by Alexander ...

Puntarenas receives many tourists from cruise ships every day, however, the majority of these visitors choose to take tours in nearby areas due to the lack of attractions and activities to enjoy in the pier and Paseo de los Turistas; solving this situation is what is motivating the building of a new park that will receive the tourists and hopefully get them to spend more time in this zone. The ...

Today's travelers want to bring home more than tan lines and souvenirs. They aspire to achieve personal enrichment through life-changing experiences that create a shift in perspectives—of the world and the self. Enter transformational travel, the key to meaningful interactions, immersive encounters and genuine communion with nature and culture. According to the Transformational Travel Council, "we...

“Let’s Tour Costa Rica” is the new video created by LCA Productions for the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) which aims to promote national and international tourism in the country. The new Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, has commented that the objectives for the next four years are focused on working with small and medium size companies through the tourism chambers in the different r...

Prestigious tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveler Spain named Costa Rica the international tourist destination of 2018. Costa Rica received the award, part of the Gold List Traveler Awards 2018, in a gala celebrated in Casino de Madrid in Spain, this event is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Costa Rica was voted initially by readers and followers of the site among 25 destinations, and then ...

Many tourists choose Costa Rica as their vacation destination because of the variety of options that the country offers, beautiful beaches, relaxation, wellness retreats , eco-tourism and of course adventure. 23% of the tourists that visit the country said they did so with the purpose of experiencing adventure tourism according to statistics by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). Canyoning is a...

Thanks to the effort of neighbors of the areas of Cuajiniquil, El Jobo and Puerto Soley in La Cruz, Guanacaste, the 732.1 hectares that make up Santa Elena Bay are now a Marine Protected Area. The objective of establishing this zone as a Marine Management Area is to reserve it for particular purposes, among them the conservation of marine life, the promotion of recreation and tourism and the s...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board signed an agreement with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) entity that will offer its assessment to help the country position itself as a cruise destination. Through the implementation of the National Cruise Strategy the country will promote the country as a destination for cruise ships through the proper development of adequate port infrastructure, ...

After showing a decline in the number of visitors from the United States last year, the fist trimester of 2018 shows a growth of 6% in tourists from this country to Costa Rica. The raise is also evident in visitors from other regions such as Europe with 14.2% in comparison to the same period of 2017 and South America with an 11.4% growth. “The actions that we have taken in marketing and pro...

Efforts have been carried out by the San Jose Municipality as well as non for profit organizations and tourism agencies to promote tourism to the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica; however, these efforts are faced with a big challenge, the lack of proper infrastructure in San Jose. From simple things like the lack of street signs and tourist information centers, to sidewalks in bad condition...

President Luis Guillermo Solis declared “El Camino de Costa Rica” (The trail of Costa Rica), a trail that will allow hikers to traverse the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, a project of public interest. Through an Executive Decree published earlier this year, the President highlighted the importance of supporting this initiative, which promotes a unique outdoor experience that w...

The Directorate General of Immigration in Costa Rica was supposed to start charging foreigners today, April 20, a $100.00 fine per month of irregular (illegal) permanence in the country, however, the immigration authority announced that they will not apply the fine for another 12 months. “The Directorate General of Immigration, through Executive Decree 41033-MGP, delays for 12 months the appl...

If the Law to Strengthen the Public Finances is approved by the Legislative Assembly, vacationing in Costa Rica will be even more expensive then it currently is. This bill proposes the taxing of tourism services with a Value Added Tax of 4% at the beginning, 8% by the third year and finally reaching 13% by the fourth year; this would affect activities such as white-water rafting, boat rides, zi...

Incidents are reported frequently of national and foreign tourists that choose to ignore the warning signs at the different national parks in Costa Rica and end up risking their lives and endangering the lives of members of the rescue teams. This time its the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) that urge visitors to respect the rules established in each park, this because on April 10 a visitor ...

After seven years of absence the first Disney Cruise will arrive in Puntarenas, Costa Rica this upcoming Sunday, April 15 from Florida, USA. The announcement of the return of the Disney Cruises to Costa Rica was made back in March 7 when representatives of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) were taking part of the Seatrade Global Fair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. The ship that...

The Latin American Center of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of the Incae Business School conducted a study for the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), the Index of Social Progress of Tourist Centers in Costa Rica, which measures environmental and social indicators in ten regions. Three indicators are divided in four aspects and each is assigned a grade between 0 and 100. One of the...

After more than a decade of wait, the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC) opens doors today, April 5 under the management of a consortium formed by Colombian group Heroica and Costa Rican firm Volio and Trejos. Heroica group also handles the Cartagena Convention Center with positive figures. According to projections by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) the Convention Center is exp...

On March 28 the official arrival (arribada) of Olive Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) began at the area known as Main Nesting Beach in Playa Ostional, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The National System of Areas of Conservation is taking control and protection actions to avoid the illegal transportation and commerce of sea turtle eggs in these sites. Each olive ridley turtles can lay in a...

Today in the Costa Rican daily La Republica, an article regarding a project to make of Limon, in the Costa Rican Caribbean, a "New Cancun", caught our attention, is this the type of development that the Caribbean province should be aiming for? In the recent years and after many decades of neglect, investors have been turning their eyes towards the Caribbean province, the project of APM terminal...

Image for illustration purposes (Jumping sting rays in Santa Elena, Guanacaste. Photo BY: Luciano Capelli) Copa de Arbol Beach and Rainforest Resort located in Drake Bay, Osa Península in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, posted the following video of a group of Devil Rays as they jump and “fly” out of the water in what is a beautiful and unique spectacle. It is not uncommon to see groups of ...

The Sustainable Tourism and Commerce Chamber of the Central Pacific (CATUCOSO) was created with the purpose of reactivating the economy and tourism of the Puntarenas province by launching campaigns that promote the visitation of this area of Costa Rica. Jaco in Garabito is probably the most popular and visited tourist area of the Central Pacific, the community depends on tourism, however, in t...

The National Tourism Chamber (Canatur) highlighted the importance for the country to respect the rights of the LGBTI population to prevent a decrease in the number of visitors to the country. Sary Valverde, president of Canatur, affirmed that this doesn’t just affect the interest of LGBTI tourists, which represent a 10% of the total number of foreigners visiting the country, to visit the countr...

The low cost airlines Volaris Airlines began operating this Thursday, March 15 the new route Costa Rica to Los Angeles, California. Flying from San Jose, Costa Rica to Los Angeles, CA, USA with Volaris can cost you as little as $300.00 (taxes included). As it happens with most low cost airlines the basic ticket cost includes the seat in coach cabin and a carry-on luggage, but the passengers ...

According to a survey carried out by the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels, the majority of the beach hotels in the areas of the Central and North Pacific as well as the Caribbean are registering a high occupancy of between 90-95%. Although vacationists usually prefer the beach as their tourism destination during Holy Week, other areas also have a good level of occupancy such as mountain hotels in...

The National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) in Costa Rica, confirmed they are working diligently in all aspects necessary to be able to reopen the Poas Volcano National Park to the public. Even though some media channels announced earlier this week that the park could reopen for the upcoming Holy Week, SINAC confirms this is Not possible, since they have to comply with security requir...

For the first time, Costa Rica has been chosen to host the largest cruise ship conference in the region, namely the Central America Cruise Summit, which will be held in the National Congress and Convention Center in 2019. The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the world's largest cruise ship organization, has taken advantage of this occurrence to promote Costa Rica as the host of this...

Costa Rica stood out in its category and took the recognition as Best Exhibitor for the Americas and the Caribbean at the ITB Travel Trade Show in Berlin. “The stand represents the first impression of the country and for many people it is the only approach they have had with the country and even with America; for this reason we transformed our presence in international fairs, for our culture an...

At the beginning of this year scientists announced with excitement the reappearance of the Poas Volcano hot water lake, as a result of the rainfall in the area and the closing of the internal ducts of the volcano; however, just a few weeks later and in a matter of 12 days the lake dried out. The volcanologists started noticing the changes in the water level of the lake starting mid-February, an...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) confirmed that the country saw the arrival of an additional 100 cruise ships during the 2016-2017 season in comparison to the 2014-2015 period, an increase which supports a successful strategy that began two years ago aimed to revive this industry in the country. Representatives of ICT are taking part of the Seatrade Cruise Global Fair, the largest cruise ship...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) announced the return of Disney Cruises to Costa Rica after a seven year absence. Representatives of ICT made the announcement during their participation in the Seatrade Cruise Global Fair, the largest cruise ship fair in the world, which was taking place March 6-8 in Fort Lauderdale, United States. According to the information released, the first cruise wi...

The profile of European tourists that visit Costa Rica differs in many ways from that of the North American and Latin American tourist. Even though North America continues to be the biggest market for Costa Rica’s tourism with over 1.3 million visitors between January and November 2017 (according to statistics by the Costa Rica Tourism Board-ICT); the efforts made by ICT to attract more tourist...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has been clear on its interest of promoting Costa Rica as a destination for meetings, conventions and congresses particularly after the inauguration of the National Congress and Convention Center that will be ready by April 5th this year; for ICT the goal is simple, to snatch the leading position in this type of tourism from the current regional leader, Panama. ...

The Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos, Puntarenas, the most visited National park in Costa Rica, has a new universal trail sponsored by the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE). “El Manglar” (The Mangrove) is the name of the new elevated trail that has a length of 784 meters (2,572 feet) and is 2.4 meters wide (7.87 feet); it was built over a mangrove, hence the name, in an area of the ...

Fishermen took to some of the main streets in Puntarenas, Limon and Guanacaste in a strike to demand better conditions for their industry. Changes to some of the fishing policies which have been established by the government for example, minimum size in some species of fish have affected their activity and profitability. Fishermen consider that government authorities and the Costa Rica Fish...

TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site revealed its Travellers' Choice ranking of Top 25 beaches in the world, and this year this listing includes a beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, the beautiful and peaceful Punta Uva. Created in 2002, the Travellers' Choice Awards are based on the quantity and quality of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor, gathered o...

Bananas, pineapple exports and medical devices, all of great importance to Costa Rica’s economy but they still don’t come close to the numbers tourism generates for the country. Throughout the last 10 years the tourism industry has contributed over U.S. $28 billion to the country's finances and with the exception of 2009, when the world crisis affected the numbers, the growth has been of close to...

Being mindful of the environment, when planning a wedding, is increasingly important. Luckily, it's also now easier to achieve. For couples interested in hosting an earth-friendly wedding, Costa Rica provides plenty of ways to do so. With beautiful natural landscapes, farm-to-table culinary traditions and sustainable venue options, an eco-responsible ceremony in Costa Rica can be a magical experie...