Toadtamer wrote:
Our Summer is the off season in CR. Last seasons fuel cost made tix rise in price. Hopefully the decrease in fuel cost will lower the tix prices. I also read in "inside CR" tourism is down 20% this year???
The only article I have seen in
Inside Costa Rica that mentioned a decline in tourism was this one,
Quote:
Tourism Drops, Minister Confident of Increase For 2007
According to the Spanish language daily, La Nación, Costa Rica had 75.000 less tourists in the last 12 months, between October 2005 and September 2006.
The report says that in November 2005, the number tourists visiting Costa Rica in the preceding 12 months was 1.569.400. Between October 2005 and the September 2006, the number of tourists decreased to 1.494.400 or 75.000 less.
The figures are taken from entry points to Costa Rica at the international airports, Juan SantamarÃa in San José and Daniel Oduber in Liberia, Guanacaste.
The Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur) estimates that the drop in tourists means at us$100 million dollars to the local economy. Canatur estimates that each tourists means spends some us$1.300 on average.
The figures show that 102.343 less visitors passed through the SantamarÃa, while at the Oduber, the number of visitors increased by 26.990.
The number of visitor to the country include all passengers arriving the airports, both foreign and national. However, Jean Marc Bourreau, manage for the Dirección de Operaciones de Alterra, the airport manager, says that the drop in the numbers is of foreigners.
The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) says that the number of tourists arriving at the San José airport decreased 3% between January and June of this year in comparison to the same period in 2005. Canatur is predicting that by the end of this year, tourism will have dropped 6%.
Alberto López, executive director of Canatur, says that the drop is directly related to the poor infrastructure in the airport and roads, as well as the constant attacks and theft of passports.
Competition from Panama and Nicaragua is also affecting the number of tourists coming to Costa Rica, according to Mauricio Céspedes, director of the Guanacaste tourism board.
Carlos Ricardo Benavides, minister of Tourism, admitted the situation and attributes the drop to the fact that during the 2004-2005 period tourism grew 17%, an exception increase.
Benavides is confident that the "decrease" is temporary and that in 2007 tourism will increase.
The drop was from 1,569,400 to 1,494,400 I calculate that to be a 4.8% drop. When did the article saying 20% appear?
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. The sale lasted only about 3 days. Now it's back up to $630.00. There's no rhyme or reason to it....it's hit or miss 
. You just have to keep checking in order to hit it at the right time.
