Vacation
Rentals
Over
Hotels
Preferred
By
Many
Visitor
To
Costa
Rica
New
figures
released
show
that
more
tourists
are
opting
for
Costa
Rica
vacations
and
there
is a
growing
preference
for
beach
vacation
rentals.
On
May
19th,
the
Instituto
Costarricense
de
Turismo
(ICT)
announced
a
rise
in
tourism
arrival
figures
of
7%
for
the
first
three
months
of
2011.
Furthermore,
regional
experts
state
that
the
emerging
niche
market
of
villa
rentals
has
been
a
key
factor
in
the
recovery
of
the
country's
tourism
industry.
The
Costa
Rican
Tourism
Institute
has
welcomed
the
increase,
stating
that
this
is a
clear
indication
that
the
country's
travel
industry
has
recovered
from
the
worldwide
economic
crisis.
Showing
an
increase
of
7.8%
in
international
arrivals,
Costa
Rica
registered
above
the
5%
world
average
set
by
the
UN
World
Tourism
Organization.
More
vacationers
are
showing
a
preference
for
property
rentals
over
hotel
accommodation
and
industry
insiders
suggest
this
has
a
lot
to
do
with
personalized
customer
service
and
the
availability
of a
wide
range
of
vacation
homes.
Figures
composed
by
the
Dirección
General
de
Migración
y
Extranjería
(DGME)
-
Costa
Rica's
immigration
service
were
analyzed
by
the
ICT.
Of
the
685,959
international
tourists
that
arriving
in
Costa
Rica
in
the
first
three
months
of
the
year
(January,
March
and
February),
54.2%
were
from
the
United
States.
Juan
Santamaria
International
Airport
recorded
a
total
of
363,898
arrivals
and
Liberia
International
Airport
a
total
of
100,864
arrivals.
With
a
total
of
4.5
million
inhabitants,
Costa
Rica
receives
more
than
half
its
total
population
in
tourists
every
year,
and
it
continues
to
rise.
2.1
million
tourists
enjoyed
Costa
Rica
vacations
in
2010,
9.2%
more
than
in
2009.
Statistics
demonstrate
that
Costa
Rica
is
amongst
the
best
performers
when
it
comes
to
the
worldwide
recovery
of
the
tourism
industry.
Information
released
by
UN
World
Tourism
Organization
reveal
that
International
tourism
continues
to
recover
from
the
global
financial
crisis
and
downturn
of
2008-2009
rising
in
every
region
of
the
world.
International
tourist
arrivals
grew
on
average
by
almost
5
per
cent
to
more
than
124
million
in
January
and
February
this
year
compared
to
the
same
period
in
2010. |
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