Central America’s SICA region recorded 27 million visitors in 2023, including 19.6 million tourists and 7.4 million excursionists. The figures come from the SITCA Compendio de Estadísticas 2023 and the ICT Informe cierre 2023 for Costa Rica. They show a broad recovery in travel, stronger tourism income, and a particularly important role for air arrivals in Costa Rica.
Contents
- Regional visitor totals and recovery
- How tourism differs across SICA destinations
- Cruise tourism across the region
- Source markets and European demand
- Lodging and travel businesses
- Tourism income and employment
- Costa Rica tourism statistics
Regional visitor totals and recovery
The SICA region’s 27 million visitors in 2023 were a regional record. Its 19.6 million tourists also reached a record level, and both measures exceeded their 2018 levels. Visitor arrivals rose 26.8% during 2023.
The rebound was especially large when measured from the low point of the pandemic period. Visitors increased 260.2% from 2021 to 2023, while the region still had a 68.8% visitor drop in 2020 compared with 2019. SITCA also reports that 2023 arrivals were 260.2% above 2020, describing the recovery as a return to normal visitor volume relative to that comparison year. Between 2013 and 2018, visitor arrivals had grown at an average annual rate of 6.2%.
The totals distinguish tourists from excursionists. Tourists are the larger regional group, but the balance changes by destination. In 2023, 7.4 million excursionists represented a substantial part of all visits, which matters when comparing destinations whose visitor totals include different mixes of overnight and short-stay travel.
How tourism differs across SICA destinations
Nicaragua had the region’s highest tourist share, at 90.4% of visits in 2023. Costa Rica followed with 86.8%. The tourist share was 78.2% in República Dominicana, 76.2% in Guatemala, 74.4% in Panama, and 73.5% in El Salvador.
Belize and Honduras were the two SICA countries where excursionists outnumbered tourists. Excursionists made up 67.6% of visits in Belize and 64.2% in Honduras. These percentages caution against treating every visitor total as an equivalent measure of overnight tourism.
| Destination or region | 2023 visitor measure | Share or change |
|---|---|---|
| SICA region | 27 million visitors | 19.6 million tourists; 7.4 million excursionists |
| Nicaragua | Visits | 90.4% tourists |
| Costa Rica | Visits | 86.8% tourists |
| República Dominicana | Visits | 78.2% tourists |
| Guatemala | Visits | 76.2% tourists |
| Panama | Visits | 74.4% tourists |
| El Salvador | Visits | 73.5% tourists |
| Belize | Visits | 67.6% excursionists |
| Honduras | Visits | 64.2% excursionists |
This mix is useful for travelers comparing the region. A destination with a high tourist share may have a visitor profile more centered on stays, while a destination with more excursionists may be strongly influenced by cruise calls, border movement, or other short visits. The supplied SITCA figures identify the shares but do not quantify the individual causes behind them.
Cruise tourism across the region
Cruise activity also recovered strongly in 2023. Regional cruise ship arrivals increased 22.8% and stood 12.7% above pre-pandemic levels. Cruise passenger volume rose 61.7% to 5.2 million passengers, which was 17.2% above the 2019 level.
Growth varied considerably by destination. Guatemala’s cruise passenger volume rose 148.2%, from 26,000 passengers in 2022 to 65,000 in 2023. El Salvador increased 138.4%, while Panama rose 100%. República Dominicana increased 71.5%, Costa Rica 66.0%, Honduras 47.6%, and Belize 46.2%. Nicaragua recorded no year-over-year change in cruise arrivals or cruise passengers.
These are cruise measures rather than general tourist-arrival measures. Cruise passengers can therefore help explain why excursionists are a larger share of visits in some destinations, but the SITCA report does not state that every excursionist was a cruise passenger.
Source markets and European demand
The 20 largest source markets supplied 89.8% of all tourists visiting SICA in 2023. The United States was the largest listed source, supplying 5,554,806 tourists. Canada supplied 4,755,381. Regional markets were also important: El Salvador supplied 1,007,084 tourists, Guatemala 827,278, Honduras 650,592, Costa Rica 349,466, and Nicaragua 261,849.
Other listed markets included Colombia with 654,894 tourists, Mexico with 407,904, Germany with 327,924, the United Kingdom with 326,944, Argentina with 311,690, and France with 297,425. Belize represented 1.8% of the top-20 source-market list.
The six European priority markets supplied 1,733,067 tourists, equal to 8.9% of all tourists visiting the SICA region. Their combined total declined 0.7% year over year, or 12,776 fewer tourists. That decline contrasts with the region’s overall 26.8% increase in visitor arrivals, showing that recovery was uneven across source markets.
Lodging and travel businesses
SICA reported 13,087 lodging establishments in 2023, up 1.3% from the previous year. Belize had the sharpest listed increase, with lodging establishments rising 22.2% and adding 192 properties. El Salvador increased 8.9%, adding 50 properties. Nicaragua and República Dominicana each increased lodging establishments by 4%, adding 86 properties combined.
Not every market expanded its lodging base. Costa Rica’s lodging establishment count fell 4.7%, a reduction of 146 properties. Guatemala declined 0.5%, losing 18 properties. Panama increased 0.2%, adding 2 properties.
The region reported 2,860 travel agencies in 2023, 2.5% more than in 2022. Nicaragua’s travel agencies increased 25.5%, from 51 to 64. These business counts describe tourism capacity and distribution, but they do not measure room inventory, agency sales, or occupancy for the entire region.
Tourism income and employment
Regional tourism income exceeded $26 billion in 2023. It grew 21.4% year over year and was 27.7% above the prior 2019 peak. Tourism income reached its highest recorded level in Belize, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and República Dominicana.
The largest listed country-level additions were in República Dominicana, up $1,356 million with tourism income rising 16.1%; El Salvador, up $1,051 million and 38.3%; Costa Rica, up $968 million and 30.9%; and Panama, up $731 million and 15.5%. Other increases included Guatemala, up $180 million and 16.7%; Nicaragua, up $144 million and 24.1%; Honduras, up $128 million and 23.2%; and Belize, up $107 million and 19.9%.
Tourism employment reached 1.436 million people regionally in 2023. Employment rose 15.1%, adding 188,000 jobs, and grew for the third consecutive year. Honduras added 43,000 tourism jobs, a 17.4% increase. República Dominicana added 12,000 jobs, Panama 5,000, Nicaragua 3,000, Belize 2,000, and El Salvador 2,000. Their listed percentage increases were 3.2%, 3.5%, 7%, 10%, and 3.4%, respectively.
Costa Rica tourism statistics
Costa Rica received 2,471,150 air arrivals in 2023, an increase of 16.7% from 2022 and 2.2% above 2019. Air travel represented 90% of total arrivals excluding crew. The country’s monthly peak was in December, with 281,095 air arrivals. Juan Santamaría Airport handled 181,002 December arrivals and Daniel Oduber Airport handled 100,051.
Air capacity had recovered to 87% of pre-pandemic levels by October 2023. About 4.5 million airline seats were available during 2023, compared with about 3.7 million in 2022. Travelers from the United States and Canada made up almost 70% of Costa Rica’s 2023 air arrivals, while European travelers represented 17%.
Costa Rica’s average stay was 12.9 nights in 2023, and average spend per tourist was $1,892.8. The ICT Informe cierre 2023 reports about $4.1 billion in preliminary tourism income. Average monthly employment in tourism-related activities was 163,268 people.
The destination satisfaction index remained above 80 in 2023. Hotel satisfaction scores were 71.9 for three-star hotels, 75.5 for four-star hotels, and 66.2 for five-star hotels. These are satisfaction index scores, not percentages of guests.
For January through September 2023, the reported average hotel room price was $91 per night. The listed averages were $143 for one- and two-star hotels, $359 for three-star hotels, and $476 for four-star hotels. The source labels these as average room prices for that nine-month period, so they should not be read as full-year averages.
The 2023 Costa Rica tourism product mix included adventure, nature, sun and beach, culture, gastronomy, wellness, and shopping, with no major change versus prior years. For visitors interested in outdoor travel, the statistics place Costa Rica within a wider regional recovery while also showing its distinct dependence on air arrivals, long average stays, and tourism income measured by the national tourism authority.