Despite the economic downturn that is currently affecting many United States citizens as well as world wide individuals, tourism influx in Guanacaste, Costa Rica has increased.

Caturgua

The Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA) has announced that the amount of passengers that flew in to the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia (LIR) in 2008, increased in 3.5% in relation to 2007.

For members of CATURGUA as well as local hotels, restaurants and tour operators, this shows that Guanacaste still remains a strong attraction for many tourists as well as investors.  From the 420,000 passengers that passed through the Daniel Oduber International Airport in 2008, the busiest month registered was March.

Several airlines offer direct flights to Liberia from major U.S airports such as Miami, Atlanta and Houston. The flight is roughly around the two hour mark and will get you straight into the heart of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast.

All major beaches in Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast are within an hour’s drive from the airport.  But before heading out to the beach, the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is a great option to visit and is located at just 30 minutes from the airport.  The Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin offers great accommodations for a reasonable price as well as adventure-packed tours in the area.

In addition, the executive director for CATURGUA, Mauricio Céspedes, stated that although the increase is small, it is still significant due to the financial crisis.  Cespedes mentioned that this increase proves that Guanacaste has great potential for tourism as well as real estate and investment.