New Liberia Terminal Opens Its Doors To First Visitors

The Liberia airport, voted the best secondary terminal in Central America, opened its doors of its new terminal to its arriving visitors on Thursday.

Some nine months after its scheduled opening, U.S. passengers Robin and Elizabeth Brown, owners of a house in Playa Hermosa, were the first to use the new facilities.

The couple arrived at 6:50am on a flight from Miami.

"It seems like a nice airport. It is quite large and comfortable that the old one. I congratulate you", were the words of Dutchman Carlos Yepes who flew in from Houston, Texas.

It is hoped that the new terminal will boost tourism in the area.

Allan Flores, the ministro de Turismo (minister of Tourism), said the inauguration coincides with the peak tourist season in Guanacaste.

The airport, in addition to being close to the beaches of Guanacaste, will also benefit the areas of Monteverde, La Fortuna and Arenal, Montezuma and possibly even the Central and South Pacific areas.



"The opening of the new terminal comes just in time when Guanacaste claimed her, and we expect to have a record year in the number of tourists to the country", said presidenta Laura Chinchilla.

From January to November last year, a total of 229.045 tourists arrived in Costa Rica by way of the Liberia airport, representing a 15.4% increase over the same period in 2010.

The cost of the new terminal is an investment of us$35 million dollars. It includes 17 immigration posts (10 more than at the old terminal) and has a capacity to handle up to 1.500 passengers per hour, and four flights at the same time.

With the new terminal the Liberia airport has been upgraded to a Class B from F.