Costa Rica Country Information

 

 

 

Costa Rica Facts and Figures

 

Population: ca. 4.9m people

 

Area:

rather a small country with 51’060 sqm divided into 7 Provinces – Alajuela, San José, Cartago, Heredia, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limón

 

Geography:

lies between Nicaragua and Panama and the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic

 

GDP: ca. USD 50bn

Average monthly disposable income: ca. USD 780

 

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

 

Costa Rica Tourism

 

• 2 international airports:
  - Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela/ San José (SJO)
  - Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia Guanacaste (LIR)
  


• Direct contribution from Tourism to GDP amounted 4.8% in 2014 according to World Travel and Tourism Council.


• Almost 100’000 direct jobs in the tourism industry and around 250’000 jobs including indirect jobs, which is around 12% of the total employment.


• In 2015 there are approx. 2.6 million foreign visitors expected to visit Costa Rica; this number is forecasted to be approx. 4.1 million by 2025 -> so there is still a large growth potential in this sector.


• Tourists stay on average for 12.4 nights in Costa Rica (2014) and spend on average USD 1350 which is around USD 100 per day (Statistics of Tourism Organization Costa Rica)


• 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



 

Costa Rica Particularities

 

• Costa Rica is considered to be Switzerland of Central America which is certainly true somehow just starting with the fact that according to the world happiness report 2012-2014 Switzerland is the happiest country in the world and Costa Rica is the happiest country in Latin America followed by Mexico and Brazil (see full 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 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.