About 16,000 foreigners stopped coming over the last month. It represents losses for about $20,7 million. Businesses pointed toward expenses reduction, staff reduction and more efficiency. For 2009, a decrease of 5% is expected.
The jackpot of the touristic industry is not producing the country’s incomes with the same previous dynamics. For this year’s January the arrival of visitor’s decreased 7% compared to the same month last year. Numbers revealed that 16,305 less tourists didn’t arrive during the first month, according to CANATUR (National Chamber of Tourism)
With these results and considering the expenses of $127 by each American per day, Costa Rica stopped receiving $20,7 million. Although January’s data is a major concerned, the reduction of tourists has declined since September. This is how the American crisis, where 50% of the tourists come from, is being paid by all the activities related to this field.
Airlines such as Taca Airline, in which American tourism has dropped down, made the choice to eliminate 70 jobs in Central America, said Claudia Arenas, Communication Manager of the company. The same is happening in the aviation sector. It’s been reported a low in the gas consumption of 20% Locally, hotels reported from last September to last November the occupancy dropped about 25% compare to the same period of the previous year.
This tendency is still affecting in January 2009. Some assure that reservations had decreased at least 8%, as it happens in Punta IslitaHotel.
We have noticed an important reduction mainly in the beach destinations, we keep the faith this will improve”, said Pablo Sala, Merchandise Manager of the Grupo Marta who declined talk about numbers.
Destinations such as Jaco and Guanacaste are among the most affected areas due to the concentration of real estate development. There’s another variation in the length of each tourist’s stay, nights have been diminished. In other cases, instead of hotels, people are renting real estate projects, according to interviewed hotel managers.
Everything make us think that during the next trimester there could be a reduction of incomes. It will force to develop new strategies”, sustained Alberto Lòpez; Executive Director from CANATUR.
There is a doubt among the businesspeople because all the perspectives of the industry for the year 2009 will be declined 5% more in the best scenario. The preoccupation of the sector is centered in the type of strategies that will that will be held during the green or low season of this year, taking in consideration that high season hasn’t fulfill the expectations.
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) points to the complication of the economic scenario will keep the same during the whole year with a drop of the 2% worldwide.
I wouldn’t expect any growth for the 2009, crisis is the worst globally. Here in Costa Rica, we feel it differently because it hasn’t been showed in its radical form”, commented Carlos Ricardo Benavides.
Since last June the ICT (CostaRican Tourism Institute) developed a touristic plan to prevent the crisis.
Over $20 million are headed to merchandise and promotion, an investment four times bigger than any other year. We are putting all our capacity to sustained the market and find new activities, added Benavides.
Even tough there is a crisis; the industry expects the opening of various flights. In November there will be 3 more flights from Canada to Liberia and another one that comes from Germany, which will be confirmed.
The country must take advantage of the little growth to understand the destiny of the future and the improvement of its conditions”, said the minister.
