The latest statistics released by the Costa Rica Tourism Board reveal that a total of 40,907 visitors from the UK travelled to the country in the first half of 2018 – representing an increase of 2.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2017.
This steady growth is a reflection of the upward trend in UK visitors to Costa Rica that has been seen in the last few years, enhanced by the launch of the British Airways direct flights from London in April 2016.
The latest figures position the UK market as Costa Rica’s second largest source market in Europe, only surpassed by France, which has received 44,843 visitors from January to June this year.
All other European countries have also seen an increase in visitor figures, including Germany (up 6.8 per cent) and Spain (up 1.6 per cent).
The Irish market has also seen a positive increase in the first half of this year.
From January to June 2018, a total of 2,400 Irish travellers visited Costa Rica, representing an impressive 17 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
In global numbers, Costa Rica welcomed 1,661,145 worldwide visitors from January to June 2018, a 1.7 per cent upsurge compared to the same period in 2017.
Perched between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica offers a plethora of wildlife, landscapes and experiences to cater for all tastes – from sloth encounters and turtle nesting to incredible rainforests, cloud forests and idyllic sand beaches.
Accounting for only 0.03 per cent of the earth’s surface, Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, having 26 per cent of its territory under protection.