Costa Rica recorded 2,919,483 international tourist arrivals in 2024, according to the ICT Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2024. The figures show a strongly air-based destination, with North America as the leading source region, vacations and leisure as the dominant reason for travel, and tourism foreign-exchange income of $5,435.8 million.
Contents
- Costa Rica travel at a glance
- Monthly arrivals and seasonality
- Long-term visitor trend
- Where visitors come from
- How travelers arrive
- Accommodation supply by region
- Visitor motives, outbound travel, and tourism income
Costa Rica travel at a glance
The 2024 total of 2,919,483 international tourist arrivals was 6.1% higher than in 2023, when Costa Rica recorded 2,751,134 arrivals. This is a count of arrivals, not a count of unique people or nights stayed. It is therefore best read as a measure of international entry activity during the calendar year.
Several 2024 figures describe the shape of that activity:
- North America supplied 1,989,725 arrivals.
- Europe supplied 485,725 arrivals.
- Central America supplied 235,860 arrivals.
- South America supplied 136,466 arrivals.
- Asia and the Pacific supplied 55,332 arrivals.
- Arrivals by air totaled 2,661,488.
- Arrivals by land and river totaled 252,010.
- Arrivals by sea totaled 5,985.
- The tourism accommodation supply estimate reached 56,106 rooms across 3,068 establishments.
Together, these numbers describe a destination whose international travel volume is concentrated in air connections and in a relatively small group of major regional markets. The accommodation figure is an estimate for 2024 from ICT Oferta Hospedaje 2003-2024, so it should not be treated as a live inventory of available rooms.
Monthly arrivals and seasonality
International arrivals varied substantially by month in 2024. March was the busiest month, with 350,300 arrivals. February followed with 317,830, while December recorded 306,113 and January recorded 299,194. These four months each exceeded 299,000 arrivals.
The quieter part of the year was concentrated in September and October. September recorded 123,371 arrivals, the lowest monthly total in the year, and October recorded 138,330. August had 200,996 arrivals, while May had 216,702 and November had 220,839.
The full monthly sequence from the ICT Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2024 is:
| Month | International tourist arrivals |
|---|---|
| January | 299,194 |
| February | 317,830 |
| March | 350,300 |
| April | 242,511 |
| May | 216,702 |
| June | 244,355 |
| July | 258,942 |
| August | 200,996 |
| September | 123,371 |
| October | 138,330 |
| November | 220,839 |
| December | 306,113 |
April recorded 242,511 arrivals, followed by June at 244,355 and July at 258,942. The difference between March and September was 226,929 arrivals, showing how uneven the calendar can be for travel planning, lodging demand, and outdoor activities. The data identifies monthly arrival volume; it does not establish weather conditions, prices, occupancy, or visitor experience for any month.
Long-term visitor trend
Costa Rica recorded 2,343,213 international tourist arrivals in 2012 and 2,526,817 in 2014. The annual total rose to 2,660,257 in 2015, 2,925,128 in 2016, 2,959,869 in 2017, 3,016,667 in 2018, and 3,139,008 in 2019.
The 2020 total was 1,011,912 arrivals, followed by 1,347,055 in 2021 and 2,349,537 in 2022. Arrivals then reached 2,751,134 in 2023 and 2,919,483 in 2024. These historical figures are reported in the ICT Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2024. The 2020–2024 sequence shows the reported change in annual arrival volume, but it does not by itself explain the causes of those changes.
| Year | International tourist arrivals |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 2,343,213 |
| 2014 | 2,526,817 |
| 2016 | 2,925,128 |
| 2018 | 3,016,667 |
| 2019 | 3,139,008 |
| 2020 | 1,011,912 |
| 2021 | 1,347,055 |
| 2022 | 2,349,537 |
| 2023 | 2,751,134 |
| 2024 | 2,919,483 |
The 2024 total remained below the 2019 figure of 3,139,008 in the reported series, while it exceeded the 2023 total by 168,349 arrivals. That comparison is useful for context, but the source does not provide a forecast for a future year.
Where visitors come from
North America was the largest source region in 2024, with 1,989,725 arrivals. The United States accounted for 1,621,340, Canada for 272,256, and Mexico for 96,129. These three country totals make up the North American figures reported by ICT.
Central America contributed 235,860 arrivals. Within that region, Nicaragua accounted for 95,799, Guatemala for 45,576, Panama for 46,797, El Salvador for 28,258, Honduras for 18,710, and Belize for 720.
Europe contributed 485,725 arrivals. The largest listed European country totals were Germany with 86,571, France with 76,685, and the United Kingdom with 74,674. The Netherlands accounted for 36,638, Switzerland for 26,541, and Italy for 21,832.
South America contributed 136,466 arrivals. Colombia supplied 31,361, Argentina 28,736, Brazil 21,484, and Chile 19,340. Asia and the Pacific contributed 55,332 arrivals, including 12,909 from China.
These source-market counts come from the ICT Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2024. They identify where arrivals were recorded by market; they do not describe traveler demographics, spending by nationality, or the number of nights spent in Costa Rica.
How travelers arrive
Air travel dominated Costa Rica’s 2024 international arrivals. The ICT reported that 88.2% arrived by air, compared with 11.3% by land and river and 0.41% by sea. In counts, that was 2,661,488 air arrivals, 252,010 land-and-river arrivals, and 5,985 sea arrivals.
The United States was especially important to air traffic: U.S. arrivals by air totaled 1,621,340. U.S. arrivals by land and river totaled 95,085, while U.S. arrivals by sea totaled 4,915. The source also reports that U.S. arrivals rose 7.7% in 2024 versus 2023.
The year-over-year movement differed by transport mode. Total tourist arrivals rose 6.1% in 2024 versus 2023, while land-and-river arrivals fell 7.3% and sea arrivals fell 25.4%. Those percentages are reported comparisons from the ICT and should not be extended to future travel periods.
For visitors planning outdoor trips, the transport split is a practical reminder that international demand is primarily connected to airports. The statistics do not specify which airport, border crossing, port, or destination area each traveler used.
Accommodation supply by region
Costa Rica’s 2024 tourism accommodation supply estimate included 56,106 rooms and 3,068 establishments, according to ICT Oferta Hospedaje 2003-2024. The largest listed regional supply was in Guanacaste, with 14,626 rooms and 628 establishments.
Valle Central had 13,076 rooms and 496 establishments. Pacifico Medio had 6,570 rooms and 365 establishments. These regional figures are estimates for 2024, not measurements of occupancy or bookings.
| Region | Estimated rooms | Estimated establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Guanacaste | 14,626 | 628 |
| Valle Central | 13,076 | 496 |
| Pacifico Medio | 6,570 | 365 |
| Costa Rica total | 56,106 | 3,068 |
The regional values are useful for understanding the reported distribution of accommodation supply, but they do not rank regions by visitor satisfaction, room prices, ecological conditions, or access to a specific national park or trail. A room estimate also does not mean that every room was open or available on a given date.
Visitor motives, outbound travel, and tourism income
Vacations, recreation, and leisure were the leading stated travel motive in 2024, with 2,332,735 tourists. Visits to family and friends reached 294,868 tourists. Business and professional travel reached 168,366, including 18,143 tourists traveling for conferences and congresses and 150,223 with other professional motives.
Education and training accounted for 57,115 tourists, while health and medical care accounted for 14,136. These categories are reported in ICT Motivo Principal de Visita 2018-2024. They show the recorded primary motive, not necessarily every activity a traveler undertook during the visit.
Costa Rican outbound travel totaled 1,384,169 departures in 2024. Of those, 1,110,176 were by air, 273,806 by land, and 187 by sea. Monthly outbound departures included 152,369 in January, 84,057 in February, 116,457 in March, and 186,523 in December. These figures describe departures by Costa Rican travelers, not inbound visits to Costa Rica.
Tourism foreign-exchange income reached $5,435.8 million in 2024, while tourism foreign-exchange spending by Costa Ricans abroad reached $1,899.98 million. The reported 2024 tourism foreign-exchange surplus was $3,535.8 million, and the income-to-expenditure ratio was 2.9. These figures come from ICT Divisas por concepto de turismo 2024.
For historical context, tourism income was $3,980.1 million in 2019, $1,324.1 million in 2020, $1,716.6 million in 2021, $3,905.1 million in 2022, and $4,754.4 million in 2023. The source reports these monetary values for their stated years; they are not adjusted here for inflation, and no additional interpretation is added to the legacy figures.