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Published Wednesday, August 5, 2020
AmCham urges for the government to
sanction commercial flights from U.S.
After the reopening of commercial flights on Aug. 1 and due to the exclusion of flights from the United States, the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce, AmCham, requested the government to allow for the arrival of commercial flights from the northern country.
According to AmCham, in 2019 more than 1,300,000 U.S. citizens visited Costa Rica, which could be equivalent to a quarter of the total of tourists that arrived in the country last year.
The ban on commercial flight arrivals from the U.S. limits the arrival of tourists to Costa Rica, AmCham said. With more flights, a higher number of tourists will enter the country to reactivate the tourism sector affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
"Most of the airlines that fly to Costa Rica come from the U.S. and provide the highest frequency of direct flights. Historically, U.S. citizens are the largest group of tourists, so it is illogical to exclude them," said Gisela Sánchez, AmCham president. "We believe that by applying the same regulation proposed for other countries, flights should be able to reach our country. "
AmCham's proposal is under equal conditions, U.S. citizens can present, before their flight, the negative result of their covid-19 test (PCR) and complete the digital epidemiological form of Social Security.
Another issue affecting the arrival of tourists is the overcharging of covid-19 insurance.
One of the conditions that the government imposed, to allow foreign tourists to visit the country, is the purchase of insurance travel, which can only be purchased through the National Institute of Insurance, INS. The approximate cost of the insurance ranges from $275 to $965 depending on stay and age.
According to Amcham, there should be no single insurance seller. "Every visitor should be free to purchase their insurance preference, including local and international providers. Imposing a single supplier will generate that some tourists discard our country as a destination," Sánchez said.
Many people who want to visit our country already have insurance that offers international coverage against covid-19, so that the measure ordered by the Government will discourage the international tourist, Amcham said.
Amcham is not the only organization complaining about the high costs of INS covid-19 travel insurance. Also, the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) and the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels (CCH) agree that the cost of travel insurance is expensive..
As part of the sanitary requirements contemplated for the reopening of international flights, the international tourist must get a policy that covers the costs of accommodation in case they receive a sanitary order that puts them in isolation, as well as medical expenses in case of hospitalization for contracting covid-19.
For this reason, the Chambers call for alternatives to reduce current prices.
"In the first instance, we hope that the options that tourists have to acquire a policy that addresses these situations will soon be expanded with the participation of other insurance companies," said Ruben Acon, president of Canatur. "Likewise, we request that the amounts of some of the coverage that seems to be extremely high and disproportionate, such as repatriation upon death, be readjusted."
Acon was echoed by Javier Pacheco, president of the Chamber of Hotels. "The high cost makes it a factor that negatively affects competitiveness and sends the wrong message to the world now that flights are resuming,” he said.
According to Pachecho, high insurance prices could affect tourism immediately and even in the next high season because foreign tourists who arrive from December to March tend to book their trip beforehand. The issue must be resolved as soon as possible, he said. "Without a doubt, this influences the assessment that the tourist will make before deciding to come to the country."
Pacheco considers that a corporate policy should be designed that allows travelers, who come to the country for a short stay, not to purchase individual insurance, which would allow them to offer more competitive rates.
According to Róger Arias, president of INS, the price of traveler's insurance will be analyzed to determine if it is possible to offer a more accessible cost of insurance.
Last week, the insurance companies that are members of the Costa Rican Association of Private Insurers (AAP) announced that they will continue their coverage to policyholders affected by the covid-19 disease.
According to the association, the insurance companies have temporarily nullified the pandemic and epidemic exclusion that most of the world's health policies include within their contractual clauses. This while facing the crisis in the country and the national emergency decreed by the government.
The members of AAP are Adisa, Assa, BMI, Mapfre, SM Seguros, Sagicor and Palig. These companies have specific guidelines and contractual conditions. They recommend for policyholders affected with covid-19 to immediately contact the corresponding customer service department.
The association calls on policyholders to go to health centers only in emergency cases. This will help avoid health networks to get overwhelmed. The protocol will also help avoid the spread of coronavirus and other respiratory conditions in clinics and hospitals.
Concerning other types of insurance, such as home or death, these continue to operate normally.
As for the government insurance firm, INS, coverage for its clients by pandemic has not been suspended. The coverage is part of the Work Risks policy.
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