Costa Rica - OECD iLibrary
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
II. PARTNER COUNTRY PROFILES – COSTA RICA
Costa Rica
Tourism in the economy
Tourism makes a significant contribution to the Costa Rican economy. In 2016, there
were 3.1 million inbound arrivals, of which 2.9 million were overnight visitors. Foreign
exchange due to tourism as a proportion of the country’s GDP, stood at 6.4%, while tourism
accounted for 46% of the services exports and around 37% of total exports.
The tourism sector is expected to grow at an average of 6% over the period 2017-2021.
Over the same period, the International Monetary Fund estimates that the Costa Rican
economy as a whole will grow at an average of 3.9% per year.
By far the largest source market for overnight visitors in 2016 was the United States
(42.2%), followed by central America (24.8%), Europe (14.9%), and Canada (6.4%). The wide
range of activities available has had a positive impact on the average length of stay, which
is expected to remain between 11 and 13 nights. In 2016 there were 35.4 million nights
spent in all means of accommodation, a rise of nearly 60% since 2010.
In 2016, the tourism sector generated 149 000 direct jobs, representing 7.2% of total
employment. When considering direct and indirect jobs, this figure is estimated to reach
450 000, or 28% of total employment.
Tourism governance and funding
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo – ICT) is responsible
for tourism policy in Costa Rica and is mandated by law to promote Costa Rica as a tourism
destination, to foster the construction of tourist infrastructure and to monitor the quality
of the visitor experience.
A coordination body for the tourism sector, chaired by the Minister of Tourism, brings
together a wide range of institutions. These include the Costa Rican Tourism Board; the
Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce; the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of
Transport; Ministry of Environment and Energy; Ministry of Culture, Interior Ministry;
Costa Rican Institute of Ports of the Pacific; Board of the Atlantic Port Administration;
National Institute of Learning; National Institute of Housing and Urbanism, National
Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers; National Institute of Electricity; National Geographic
Institute; and the National Institute of Rural Development.
There are no institutions at the regional or local level with direct responsibilities for
tourism. However, ICT maintains close co-operation with local government, notably
through a specific mandate regarding management of the cantons.
The ICT budget for 2016 was approximately USD 69 million, including the cost of
construction of a new Convention Centre. Tax revenues provide 97.6% of the funding, while
320 OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2018 © OECD 2018
II. PARTNER COUNTRY PROFILES – COSTA RICA
the remaining 2.4% comes from interest on investments, concessions and property rentals,
and other minor non-tax income. Tax revenues come from two sources:
● A flat rate entry tax of USD 15, which must be paid by any person who enters the country
with a ticket purchased abroad. This contributes 55.5% of the total budget (Law No. 8694),
● A 5% tax on tickets sold in Costa Rica for any kind of international travel (Law No. 1917)
and a 5% tax on tickets where the route originates in Costa Rica (Law No. 8694),
contributing 25% and 17.1% to the total budget respectively.
Costa Rica: Organisational chart of tourism bodies
Costa Rican Tourism Board
(Board of Directors)
Touristic Pole Papagayo Gulf
Interagency Commission of Marinas and Executive President
Touristic Docks (Ministry of Tourism)
Regulatory Tourism Commission General Manager
Marketing and Tourism
Administrative Promotion Tourism Planning Management
Regional Offices
Finance (Research and and Development (Certification,
Evaluation) Tourism Services)
Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Tourism, 2018.
Tourism policies and programmes
A number of issues and challenges are shaping tourism priorities in Costa Rica,
including the need to:
● Strengthen and develop new programs to promote differentiation, required to secure
competitive advantage,
● Foster participation of more companies and services with the aim of enhancing the
authenticity of the tourist experience,
● Innovate and add new products targeting high demand market segments,
● Improve the overall safety of tourists,
● Prevent tourist saturation,
● Improve the quality of services offered,
● Invest in infrastructure and equipment,
● Increase investment in marketing,
● Develop a regulatory policy framework for the sector,
● Help small-business owners to develop more efficient commercial management strategies.
Tourism policy, in line with the overall development path of Costa Rica and the
Sustainable Development Goals, is built around three axes: sustainability, innovation and
inclusion. These axes underpin the Tourism Development Plan prepared by ICT in 2017,
Plan de Desarrollo turístico de Costa Rica 2017-2021.
OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2018 © OECD 2018 321II. PARTNER COUNTRY PROFILES – COSTA RICA
In pursuit of sustainability, the Plan seeks to:
● Guarantee efficient use of environmental resources,
● Preserve the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, cultural heritage and
traditional values and promote a fair co-existence between tourism companies and host
communities,
● Guarantee a high level of satisfaction among tourists based on authentic experiences,
while raising awareness on the issue of sustainability.
In pursuit of innovation, the Plan seeks to:
● Guarantee long-term viable economic operations, with a fair distribution of benefits
among the stakeholders,
● Support and strengthen SMEs,
● Promote establishment of companies throughout the national territory.
In pursuit of inclusion, the Plan seeks to:
● Ensure that communities benefit from the positive social and environmental benefits
arising from the tourist industry,
● Invest in human capital development and the professionalization of the sector,
● Foster inclusion, equal opportunities, partnerships and entrepreneurships at the local level.
The primary objective is that the tourism sector in Costa Rica continues to be the main
driver of the economy, promoting a model that is sustainable, innovative and inclusive. To
achieve this objective, the Tourism Development Plan 2017-2021 aims to:
● Promote even distribution of demand throughout the territory, maintaining an average
length of stay between 11 and 13 nights,
● Achieve 6% growth in international arrivals, which translates into 3.9 million arrivals by
2021,
● Position Costa Rica as a differentiated sustainable tourist destination, in segments of
high perceived value and niches with high potential,
● Improve the competitiveness and organizational capacity of SMEs.
Launched in 2016, a new Social Progress Index (SPI) is being used as a tool to monitor
tourism’s contribution to sustainable development. The SPI allows Costa Rica to measure
the well-being of people in tourist destinations, serving as an indicator to better promote
and establish public-private partnerships, and to foster social progress and inclusive and
sustainable economic growth (Box 1.22).
322 OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2018 © OECD 2018II. PARTNER COUNTRY PROFILES – COSTA RICA
Statistical profile
Table 1. Costa Rica: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND
Domestic tourism
Total domestic trips .. .. .. .. ..
Overnight visitors (tourists) .. .. .. .. ..
Same-day visitors (excursionists) .. .. .. .. ..
Nights in all types of accommodation .. .. .. .. ..
Hotels and similar establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Specialised establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Other collective establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Private accommodation .. .. .. .. ..
Inbound tourism
Total international arrivals 2 542 2 641 2 760 2 660 3 118
Overnight visitors (tourists) 2 343 2 428 2 527 2 660 2 925
Same-day visitors (excursionists) 199 213 233 .. 193
Top markets
United States 921 929 997 1 077 1 233
Central America 721 736 717 709 725
Europe 285 301 370 393 435
Canada 152 160 173 176 188
South America 136 164 138 156 181
Nights in all types of accommodation 27 181 e 28 164 e 31 333 e 30 061 e 35 394 e
Hotels and similar establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Specialised establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Other collective establishments .. .. .. .. ..
Private accommodation .. .. .. .. ..
Outbound tourism
Total international departures .. .. .. .. ..
Overnight visitors (tourists) 773 790 798 919 1 036
Same-day visitors (excursionists) .. .. .. .. ..
Top destinations
.. .. .. .. .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. ..
TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, MILLION USD
Inbound tourism
Total international receipts 2 773 3 171 3 137 3 388 3 879
International travel receipts 2 529 2 928 2 996 3 267 3 879
International passenger transport receipts 244 243 141 122 ..
Outbound tourism
Total international expenditure 647 649 657 903 809
International travel expenditure 422 425 450 690 809
International passenger transport expenditure 225 224 207 213 ..
.. Not available; e Estimated value
Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).
1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933641754
OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2018 © OECD 2018 323II. PARTNER COUNTRY PROFILES – COSTA RICA
Table 2. Costa Rica: Enterprises and employment in tourism
Number of
Number of persons employed
establishments
2015 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total .. 130 438 150 552 147 925 153 168 149 301
Tourism industries 3 402 e 106 747 124 794 121 528 125 835 122 658
Accommodation services for visitors .. .. .. .. .. ..
Hotels and similar establishments 2 516 e 79 774 89 339 87 420 90 518 87 810
Food and beverage serving industry 418 e .. .. .. .. ..
Passenger transport .. 11 492 10 499 12 141 12 571 10 319
Air passenger transport .. .. .. .. .. ..
Railways passenger transport .. .. .. .. .. ..
Road passenger transport .. .. .. .. .. ..
Water passenger transport 28 e .. .. .. .. ..
Passenger transport supporting services 26 e .. .. .. .. ..
Transport equipment rental 27 e .. .. .. .. ..
Travel agencies and other reservation services
365 e .. .. .. .. ..
industry
Cultural industry .. 15 481 24 956 21 967 22 746 24 529
Sports and recreation industry 22 e .. .. .. .. ..
Retail trade of country-specific tourism
.. .. .. .. .. ..
characteristic goods
Other country-specific tourism industries .. .. .. .. .. ..
Other industries .. 23 691 25 758 26 397 27 333 26 643
.. Not available; e Estimated value
Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).
1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933641773
324 OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2018 © OECD 2018From:
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018
Access the complete publication at:
https://doi.org/10.1787/tour-2018-en
Please cite this chapter as:
OECD (2018), “Costa Rica”, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018, OECD Publishing, Paris.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/tour-2018-46-en
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments
employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries.
This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the
delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications,
databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided
that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and
translation rights should be submitted to rights@oecd.org. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for
public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at info@copyright.com or the
Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at contact@cfcopies.com.You can also read
