Published on Thursday, July 17, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

From January through June, more than 1.4 million travelers arrived in Costa Rica by air, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).

The figure represents a 2.8% drop compared with the same period in 2024, when roughly 1.5 million tourists visited the country.

Despite the decline, tourism officials expect a rebound in the second half of the year. Starting in July, 13 new air routes from Canada, Mexico, the United States, France, and the Netherlands will begin servicing Costa Rica, expanding access for international travelers.

Recently, Canada’s WestJet has announced new nonstop routes connecting to Costa Rica.

To further stimulate demand, the ICT has invested more than $43 million in international advertising campaigns promoting Costa Rica as a premier travel destination. Recently, ICT has stepped up international promotion efforts, including a debut presence at the 13th annual MURAL Festival in Montreal, Canada.

Projections based on ICT’s statistical models suggest total visitor arrivals for 2025 could reach between 2.6 million (ARIMA model) and 2.8 million (Holt-Winters model).

The United States remains Costa Rica’s largest tourism market, with about 921,000 American visitors during the first half of the year. Canadian arrivals totaled more than 156,000, while over 42,000 travelers came from Mexico.

European visitors surpassed 215,000, led by France (38,000), Germany (37,000), the United Kingdom (36,000), and Spain (21,000).

From South America, more than 73,000 tourists arrived, including 15,000 from Colombia, 12,000 from Argentina, and 10,000 from Brazil.

Tourism remains a cornerstone of the national economy. In 2024, Costa Rica recorded more than 2.6 million international air arrivals, a 7% increase over the previous year.

The sector also generated over $5.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings in 2024, according to the Central Bank of Costa Rica.

ICT officials say ongoing investments in infrastructure and marketing are key to enhancing the visitor experience and maintaining Costa Rica’s global appeal.

The ICT, the government agency responsible for tourism promotion.

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