COSTA RICA CELEBRATE BICENTENNIAL INDEPENDENCE IN 2021
This year Costa Rica celebrates the bicentennial of its independence and plans are for a full celebration throughout the year and across the country (Covid permitting) with Independence Day on 29th October. Alajuela, Heredia, San José, Cartago, Ujarraz, Barva or Bagaces are some of the towns preparing to host the Bicentennial celebrations. Official activities will be coordinated according to the evolution of the pandemic. Throughout 2020 Costa Rica has followed a tourism strategy aimed at continuing to support small and medium-sized tourism companies with collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve the quality of the tourism product and respect health protocols. Looking to 2021, Costa Rica continues to position itself as a ‘sustainable’ destination for the whole year, with multiple alternatives from well-being, adventure, bird watching, nature and rural tourism, culture, honeymoons, sun and beach, families, MICE or cruises. The opening of the air border is of key importance for the reactivation of employment through the tourist industry, one of the main engines of the national economy. There are more than 300 Costa Rican companies with the ‘Safe Travels’ seal, granted by the World Travel and Tourism Council to the country, which guarantees compliance with health protocols for tourism activities.
TOURISM SECTOR COLLAPSE DUE TO PANDEMIC In the first 10 months of 2020 international arrivals fell by 72%, with travel restrictions, low consumer confidence and a global fight to contain the COVID-19 virus. Combined, this contributed to the worst year on record in the history of tourism. Data from UNWTO confirms that destinations welcomed 900 million fewer international tourists between January and October, compared to the same period in 2019. This equates to a loss of UK£688 billion in export revenues from international tourism, over 10 times the loss seen in 2009 due to impact of the global economic crisis. Even with the rollout of vaccines helping to boost traveller confidence, there is still a long road to recovery. Borders need to be safely opened while tourism jobs and businesses need supporting. UNWTO figures confirm that international arrivals declined by 70-75% for the whole of 2020. This is the level global tourism was at 30 years ago, with 1 billion fewer arrivals and a loss of some UK£810 billion in international tourism receipts. This has resulted in an economic loss of UK£1.472 trillion in world GDP. Asia and the Pacific saw an 82% decrease in arrivals in the first 10 months of 2020. The Middle East recorded a 73% decline, while Africa saw a 69% drop. International arrivals in both Europe and the Americas declined by 68%.
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