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INSIDECOSTARICA.COM
| COSTA RICA
NEWS BRIEFS
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Thursday 17 February 2011 |
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Costa
Rica's
Liberia
Airport
Breaks
January
Record
For
Tourist
Arrival
The
Daniel
Oduber
International
Airport
(LIR),
located
in
Guanacaste,
recorded
the
highest
number
of
tourists
in its
history
during
the
month of
January
this
year.
Data
from the
Dirección
General
de
Migración
y
Extranjería
(Costa
Rica's
immigration
service)
reports
that in
the
first
month of
2011
there
were
31,637
foreign
visitors,
this
represents
a 28.2%
increase
over the
same
period
of 2010
when
there
were
24,677
foreign
visitors.
The
spike in
visitors
this
January
broke
the
previous
record
from
March
2008 of
29,206
arrivals.
Most of
these
visitors
were
from the
United
States(17,278),
followed
by
Canada
(11,013)
and
England
(1211).
The
number
of
commercial
flights
has also
increased
this
year in
Liberia.
Data
from the
Civil
Aviation
Technical
Council
(CETAC)
confirms
that in
January
there
were 42
flights
a week,
6 more
than in
2010
representing
a growth
of 14
percent.
February
is
similar
with 53
flights
a week,
13 more
than the
same
period
last
year,
meaning
25
percent
more.
The
Ministro
de
Turismo
(Tourism
minister),
Carlos
Ricardo
Benavides,
welcomed
the news
and
added
that
"This is
the
result
of a
good
strategy
to
attract
international
airlines
to the
Daniel
Oduber
International
airport
and
first
class
hotels
and
unique
boutique
hotels
that the
area of
Guanacaste
offers."
During
2010,
the
Instituto
Costarricense
de
Turismo
(ICT) -
Costa
Rica
Tourism
Board
-
announced
new
direct
flights
to
Liberia,
a
product
of
alliances
with
international
airlines
and
wholesalers,
including:
TUI
(from
Düsseldorf,
Germany),
Apple
Vacations
(Chicago),
First
Choice (
London),
Air
Canada
(Montreal)
and Taca
(El
Salvador).
"This
movement
at the
second
most
important
airport
in the
country
encourages
us to
think
that
2011 is
shaping
up to be
a good
year for
tourism,"
said
Minister
Benavides.
Previously
known as
Tomás
Guardia
Airport,
the now
Daniel
Oduber
International
Airport
in
Liberia,
Guanacaste
began
operations
in 1995
. The
first
commercial
flight
from
abroad
was from
Delta
Airlines
in
January
2002,
and then
it was
followed
by
American
Airlines
and
Continental
Airlines,
among
others.
The ICT,
created
in 1955,
is an
autonomous
institution
of the
State,
responsible
for
regulating
the
tourism
activity
in Costa
Rica and
promoting
Costa
Rica’s
tourism
attractions
and
destinations
both at
a
national
and
international
level.
The
Costa
Rica
Tourism
Board
creates
tourism
norms,
regulations,
incentives
and
grants
the
tourist
declaratory
for
Costa
Rica’s
hotels,
travel
agencies,
rental
cars and
other
tourism
organization
and
service
provider.
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