Costa Rica’s adventure tourism market combined 2,661,488 air arrivals in 2024 with 2,611,643 recorded visits to protected areas. The reported figures show a large international market, a strong North American base, and pronounced month-to-month variation in visits to natural areas.
Table of contents
- 2024 air arrivals at a glance
- The two main international gateways
- Where Costa Rica’s air visitors came from
- Protected-area visits across 2024
- 2023 and 2024 protected-area totals
- What the 2016 series reports
2024 air arrivals at a glance
The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) news release on 2024 arrivals reported 2,661,488 tourists arriving by air during 2024. That total was 7.7% higher than the 2023 figure reported in the same release. Air arrivals therefore provide a useful measure of the scale of international travel connected to Costa Rica’s outdoor economy, although they do not by themselves identify how many travelers booked an adventure activity or entered a particular park.
The annual total also gives context for the protected-area series. ICT’s SINAC protected-areas series reported 2,611,643 protected-area visits in 2024. These are different measures: one counts tourists arriving by air, while the other counts visits recorded in protected areas. They should not be treated as interchangeable people counts.
The air-arrival measure is especially relevant for an outdoors destination because it captures the volume of visitors entering the country through international aviation. The protected-area measure adds a destination-level view, showing when nature-based attractions received visits during the year. Together, the reported totals describe reach and activity without assigning every arrival to an adventure itinerary.
The two main international gateways
The ICT news release separated 2024 air arrivals between Juan Santamaría International Airport and Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste. Juan Santamaría received 1,779,529 tourists, and arrivals there rose 4.6% year over year. Daniel Oduber received 881,289 tourists, with arrivals up 14.5% year over year.
| Airport | 2024 tourists | Reported year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Santamaría International Airport | 1,779,529 | 4.6% increase |
| Daniel Oduber International Airport, Guanacaste | 881,289 | 14.5% increase |
The two airport figures are useful for understanding geographic access to the country. Juan Santamaría handled the larger reported volume, while Daniel Oduber in Guanacaste recorded the faster reported year-over-year growth. The figures do not state how visitors distributed themselves after landing, so airport totals should not be used as a direct ranking of adventure destinations.
The contrast in growth rates is still notable. The 4.6% increase at Juan Santamaría and the 14.5% increase at Daniel Oduber describe different rates of change at the two gateways. In practical terms, the ICT report shows that Guanacaste’s international gateway expanded more quickly in 2024 than the larger San José-area gateway, based on the reported airport series.
Where Costa Rica’s air visitors came from
North America was the dominant region in the ICT 2024 air-arrival report, sending 1,936,937 tourists to Costa Rica. North American arrivals increased 10.3% in 2024. This regional figure is followed by country-level figures for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The United States sent 1,587,138 air tourists, and U.S. arrivals increased 10.9% in 2024. Canada sent 257,395 air tourists, with arrivals increasing 5.9%. Mexico sent 92,404 air tourists, and Mexican arrivals increased 12.7%.
| Origin market | 2024 air tourists | Reported year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 1,936,937 | 10.3% increase |
| United States | 1,587,138 | 10.9% increase |
| Canada | 257,395 | 5.9% increase |
| Mexico | 92,404 | 12.7% increase |
These source-market numbers help explain the international audience available to Costa Rica’s outdoor and adventure businesses. The United States is the largest individual market in the reported figures, while Mexico has the fastest country-level growth rate among the three listed markets. Canada remains a substantial source of air tourists despite its lower reported growth rate.
The regional total and the three country totals should be read as related reporting categories, not automatically added together as separate markets. The country figures are presented within the North American picture in the ICT release. They show the scale and direction of selected markets, but the supplied report does not provide a complete origin-market breakdown for every country.
Protected-area visits across 2024
ICT’s SINAC protected-areas series recorded 2,611,643 visits during 2024. The monthly pattern was uneven. January recorded 321,505 visits, February recorded 274,114, and March recorded 317,116. April then recorded 213,032 visits, followed by 167,150 in May and 171,684 in June.
Visits rose to 247,795 in July and 229,339 in August. The lowest reported months came later in the year: September recorded 132,111 visits and October recorded 130,525. The series then increased to 156,198 visits in November and 251,074 in December.
| Month in 2024 | Protected-area visits |
|---|---|
| January | 321,505 |
| February | 274,114 |
| March | 317,116 |
| April | 213,032 |
| May | 167,150 |
| June | 171,684 |
| July | 247,795 |
| August | 229,339 |
| September | 132,111 |
| October | 130,525 |
| November | 156,198 |
| December | 251,074 |
The reported high point in this monthly series was January, with 321,505 visits. March followed with 317,116, while December reached 251,074. The reported low point was October, with 130,525 visits, narrowly below September’s 132,111.
This seasonality matters for interpreting adventure tourism demand. The protected-area series shows stronger reported visitation at the beginning and end of the year, with a lower run from September through November. It does not identify the weather, holidays, park capacity, visitor nationality, or activity type behind each monthly count, so those explanations cannot be inferred from the supplied figures alone.
The monthly figures also show why an annual total can hide meaningful operating variation. January’s reported count was 321,505, while October’s was 130,525. Both are part of the same 2024 annual series, but they represent very different levels of recorded protected-area activity.
2023 and 2024 protected-area totals
For 2023, ICT’s SINAC protected-areas series reported 2,728,582 visits. The 2023 monthly counts were 307,235 in January, 265,638 in February, 278,401 in March, and 299,113 in April. May recorded 165,864 visits, June 158,463, July 261,156, and August 216,180.
The later 2023 months recorded 154,585 visits in September, 148,547 in October, 194,102 in November, and 279,298 in December. These monthly values provide a second year of context for the 2024 pattern without treating the two years as identical seasonal experiences.
| Year | Reported protected-area visits | Source series |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,728,582 | ICT SINAC protected-areas series |
| 2024 | 2,611,643 | ICT SINAC protected-areas series |
The 2023 series had its highest supplied monthly count in January at 307,235, followed by April at 299,113 and December at 279,298. Its lowest supplied monthly count was June at 158,463. In 2024, January was higher at 321,505, while October was the lowest supplied month at 130,525.
The annual totals show that the protected-area series recorded 2,728,582 visits in 2023 and 2,611,643 in 2024. The supplied figures do not provide a reason for the difference, so the change should be reported as a movement in recorded visits rather than attributed to a specific cause.
What the 2016 series reports
ICT’s SINAC protected-areas series also reports monthly resident and non-resident counts for January through October 2016. January recorded 146,362 resident visits and 117,094 non-resident visits, for 263,456 total visits. February recorded 89,908 resident and 128,976 non-resident visits, for 218,884 total visits.
March recorded 82,687 resident visits plus 142,847 non-resident visits, or 225,534 total. April recorded 144,527 resident and 95,876 non-resident visits, or 240,403 total. May recorded 51,031 resident visits and 52,925 non-resident visits, for 103,956 total.
June recorded 48,593 resident visits plus 71,975 non-resident visits, or 120,568 total. July recorded 109,166 resident and 101,683 non-resident visits, for 210,849 total. August recorded 67,473 resident visits and 97,830 non-resident visits, for 165,303 total.
September recorded 57,870 resident visits plus 39,868 non-resident visits, or 97,738 total. October recorded 40,973 resident and 35,088 non-resident visits, for 76,061 total.
| Month in 2016 | Resident visits | Non-resident visits | Total visits |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 146,362 | 117,094 | 263,456 |
| February | 89,908 | 128,976 | 218,884 |
| March | 82,687 | 142,847 | 225,534 |
| April | 144,527 | 95,876 | 240,403 |
| May | 51,031 | 52,925 | 103,956 |
| June | 48,593 | 71,975 | 120,568 |
| July | 109,166 | 101,683 | 210,849 |
| August | 67,473 | 97,830 | 165,303 |
| September | 57,870 | 39,868 | 97,738 |
| October | 40,973 | 35,088 | 76,061 |
The 2016 entries are historical monthly observations, not a current forecast. They are useful because they distinguish resident and non-resident visits in the reported period. They should not be presented as a direct substitute for the 2023 and 2024 annual totals, which are supplied as yearly protected-area figures without the same resident and non-resident split.
Across the three reporting windows, the measures answer different questions. The 2024 air-arrival figures describe international entry by air and identify major gateways and source markets. The 2023 and 2024 SINAC series describe protected-area visits by month and year. The 2016 entries add a resident versus non-resident breakdown for January through October. Keeping those definitions and measurement periods separate is essential when using Costa Rica adventure tourism statistics for planning or comparison.