Geography:
lies between Nicaragua and Panama and the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic. The country is renowned for its lush vegetation, famous beaches, surfing opportunities, many national parks and tropical retreats.
Area:
rather a small country with 51’060 sqm divided into 7 Provinces – Alajuela, San José, Cartago, Heredia, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limón
- It contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. 26% of the country consists of environmentally protected zones.
Population:
approx. 5.2m people
Stable government
Costa Rica has been called ‘Switzerland of Central America’
Agricultural products:
best pineapples of the world, bananas, coffee, sugar, corn, rice, melons, ornamental plants, beef, poultry, dairy, timber, beans, potatoes.
Strongest industries:
medical equipment, electronic components, plastic products, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizers
Tourism
- 2 international airports:
– Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela/ San José (SJO)
– Guanacaste International Airport (LIR) - In 2024, Costa Rica welcomed 2.6m foreign tourists which is a new record and a 10% increase from the previous year. 75% travelled for vacation purpose
- Guanacaste Airport (Liberia international airport) registered 980’000 arrivals which is a 16% growth from 2023.
- Direct contribution from Tourism to GDP amounted 5.4% in 2024 according to World Travel and Tourism Council.
- In 2014, nearly 100,000 people were directly employed in the tourism industry. By mid-2024, the sector’s workforce increased to approximately 187,798 direct jobs, with an additional 15,253 new jobs created between the first and second quarters of the year. This growth surpasses both the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and the figures from 2023.
- Tourists in Costa Rica stayed an average of 13.2 nights in 2024 and spent around an average of USD 1,600 during their visit, reflecting both increased visitation and higher spending habits than in previous years.
- Around 40% of tourists come from the United States, ca. 12-13% from Europe and the rest from Latina America and the rest of the world.
- Almost 90% of the visitor come for private and leisure tourism, only a bit more than 10% visit Costa Rica for business purposes and only 0.3% for health tourism -> health tourism isn’t exploited yet although costs for health services are much lower in Costa Rica than in Europe and the United States
Other interesting Facts
- Costa Rica has been various times nominated in the first spots of the world happiness report.
- Costa Rica has a highly qualified workforce – the country abolished the army in 1949 the budget amount which was earlier spent on the army has been transferred and invested into the building system.
- Costa Rica´s water is very clean therefore in most places you can drink water from the tab.
- Great access to health services: private and public health facilities count with well skilled professionals and high level equipment – very good ranking by the World Health Organization.
- Usually, the Caribbean Sea is the best, in Costa Rica it is the other way around, the most beautiful beaches are on the Pacific Coast in the West of the country.
- The Pacific Ocean water usually is cold, in Costa Rica the Pacific water is warm.
- Extraordinary climate: this small country has 12 different climate zones, a climate for any preference: humid in the East of the country (Caribbean side), cool in the mountains area and the Central Valley/ San José are, hot and dry in Guanacaste.
‘WHAT IS MOST APPRECIATED HERE IN COSTA RICA IS THE STRESS-FREE LIFESTYLE AND ITS ASTONISHING NATURE. THIS IS PURE LIFE QUALITY!’