The National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), welcomed the new road that joins San Jose and Caldera, and considers this work as a great change to develop the tourism of the zone.
Photo by André Quirós
The estimated traveling time is 45 minutes to an hour approximately. This has become a stimulus for the national traveler that could make more 1 day trips with more frequency than before.
Thus, the tourism entrepreneur will observe more movement to those zones where more time was involved.
Juan Carlos Ramos, president of CANATUR, explained that construction of this road is the new access to the Province of Puntarenas and that investing is absolutely necessary that could give an extra value to the tourist offer in Costa Rica.
It’s a way that is going to facilitate the development of different productive sectors of the country and an extra value for the Costa Rican because it satisfies the demand of those who come to the country and visit us, because this is a better tourist offer to get more accessible roads.” said Ramos.
Furthermore, CANATUR considers the benefit for other zones such as Ciudad Colon, Atenas and Orotina, among other communities placed along the road.
The new work represents opportunities for the business people that could take advantage of it and offer services and infrastructure according to the tourist profile that prefer the Pacific area”, added Ramos.
Mr. Julio Restani, Owner of Villas Fantasía del Pacífico, located in Orotina, Alajuela, took advantage of the new route to Caldera to open his tourist enterprice, trusting in the national tourist and foreigners that will visit the zone more often.
The Hotel has 15 equipped villas, 2 pools, and two restaurants, a tilapia lagoon, and more.
about a year ago I started to consider a dream to build a tourism enterprise, with the facilities and the development of the zone with the opening of the new route, I hope that there will be tourist movement for my new enterprise and others that will come up”, affirmed Restani who invested 2 million dollars in the project.
On the other side, for Laura Madrid, from Casa Mafalda Sunset Beach Hotel, in Jaco, recued that the national tourist will have the easiest and safest access that allows having more vacations with more frequency.
A road of opportunities
The new road that joins San Jose and Caldera, together with Monte del Aguacate and Cambronero as the only accesses to Puntarenas, one of the most liked tourist sites for nationals and foreigners.
According to the Department of Investigation and Statistics of CANATUR, nearly 37% of the tourist that passed through the International Airport Juan Santa María during the first semester 2009, visited the Central Pacific while only 13% went to the North Pacific. The zones of the Central and North Pacific are mainly visited by foreigners.
The 37,5% of Americans, 43,5% of Canadians and 42,2% Europeans visit the Central Pacific, while the North Pacific is more visited by a 22,1% of Canadians and the 23% of Europeans.
The internal tourism indicates that the most visited areas are Puntarenas, beaches, and the isles of the Gulf (it includes the port, and Puntarenas down town, Cabo Blanco, Montezuma, Malpais and Santa Teresa) with a 29,3%.
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