Costa Rica unveils tourism strategy after sluggish 2025 growth

Costa Rica behind its peers

“In 2025, the 1% increase in international arrivals provided some relief for the sector, but it also confirmed a clear slowdown compared with our main competitors,” said Shirley Calvo, executive director of CANATUR to the Tico Times. “Global tourism expanded by around 5%, while Costa Rica remained below that pace and even recorded negative growth in several months of the year.”

The weak expansion contrasted sharply with stronger results elsewhere in the region. Colombia reported growth of about 4%, the Dominican Republic 5%, Mexico 6%, and Guatemala surged ahead with a 10% increase in arrivals, according to CANATUR. The gap, Calvo said, highlights Costa Rica’s untapped potential and the urgency of corrective measures.

North America remained Costa Rica’s dominant source market in 2025, accounting for nearly two million visitors. However, arrivals from the United States grew by just 0.5%, signaling stagnation in a market that has traditionally powered the country’s tourism engine. Europe performed worse, posting a 2.1% decline amid economic uncertainty and shifting travel patterns. South America provided the brightest spot, with arrivals jumping 14.5%, helping to cushion losses earlier in the year.

Beyond arrivals, industry indicators pointed to a challenging year. Tourism businesses reported uneven hotel occupancy, shorter average stays, and growing price sensitivity among travelers, particularly in beach and eco-lodge destinations. Rising operating costs and pressure on margins further weighed on the sector, even as global travel demand continued to recover.

New National Tourism Strategy looking for 5.2 million tourists

CANATUR attributed Costa Rica’s under-performance to a combination of structural and external factors. A strong exchange rate has made the destination more expensive relative to its peers, eroding competitiveness. Infrastructure constraints, concerns about public safety, and the rapid expansion of informal accommodations and unregulated tour operators have also strained the formal tourism economy and affected employment.

Against this backdrop, Costa Rica’s tourism sector has unveiled a sweeping National Tourism Strategy designed to reverse the trend. Developed for CANATUR, the plan targets more than 5.2 million annual visitors by 2035, with projected revenues exceeding $11 billion and the creation of nearly 300,000 jobs.

Martí Jiménez, president of CANATUR, said the strategy reflects a hard reassessment of the country’s value proposition. “We’ve hit the brakes because our price-product relationship has lost competitiveness. The assumption that demand for Costa Rica is price-inelastic no longer holds,” he stressed.

The strategy also emphasizes the need for a stronger legal and regulatory foundation to attract long-term investment. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, an attorney at Bufete de Costa Rica, said a successful tourism plan must extend beyond promotion. “Clear regulations, streamlined permitting, and legal certainty for investors are fundamental,” he said. “That stability is what allows sustainable projects to take root.”

Regional competition is also eroding Costa Rica’s once-dominant position in eco-tourism. Consultant Roberto Artavia, who contributed to the strategy, pointed to rivals such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama, each leveraging distinct advantages ranging from security and cultural heritage to infrastructure and iconic attractions.

To counter these pressures, the plan proposes upgrading infrastructure at national parks, creating a government-level “tourism cabinet” to coordinate policy, and elevating gastronomy and local beverages as core elements of the visitor experience.

It also aims to channel growth toward rural, coastal, and border communities, using tourism as a driver of social and economic inclusion.

CANATUR stressed that Costa Rica is capable of achieving growth rates closer to the global average and reaffirmed that tourism remains a cornerstone of the country.