According to data released by the Immigration Department of Costa Rica and analyzed by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), there was a 9.2-percent increase in international tourism to Costa Rica in 2010 compared to 2009.
For the second time in history, Costa Rica received more than 2 million tourists. According to current statistics analyzed by the ICT, there were 2,099,829 tourists in 2010 (a total gathered from all ports of entry) comparing to the 1,922,579 that visited the country in 2009.
"We are very optimistic about this 9.2 percent growth in tourism to Costa Rica because travel to Latin America has risen between five and six percent compared to the lower rate of travel to the rest of the world, which was hovering around four and five percent," said Carlos Ricardo Benavides, tourism minister for the Costa Rica Tourism Board, in a written statement.
Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main port of entry to Costa Rica in San Jose, reported the arrival of 1,189,925 passengers in 2010 representing an increase of 5.5 percent compared to 2009 when the airport reported 1,127,599 visitors.
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