With its lush rainforests and towering volcanos, Costa Rica has long been popular with the escorted tours market. But on November 10, the first Thomson charter flight will start the 12-hour journey from Gatwick to Daniel Oduber airport, bringing a new kind of tourist to the country, more focused on making the most of its sandy beaches and sunshine.
“The charter flights are great news,” says Pilar Cano, Central American Tourism Agency chief executive. “They will undoubtedly help increase the number of British visitors, and help the tourism industry develop further in Costa Rica.”
Visitor numbers from the UK are already up – 27% higher in January and February than in the same period last year. Now, with a new all-inclusive hotel on the coast and a charter flight to attract visitors looking for sunshine packages, a new avenue has opened to beckon even more Brits. There’s never been a better time to make sure you’re well qualified to sell Costa Rica.
The package market
When the charter flight starts, Thomson and First Choice will be offering seven, 14 and 21-night holidays in a range of different resorts on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast, in the Guanacaste region, which has lovely beaches and is less humid than other parts of the country.
This is the Pacific, not the Caribbean, so the ocean can be better suited to surfers than swimmers on some days. However, the sand is clean and the sun hot, so unless clients are particularly picky about swimming in the sea rather than the pool, they should be more than happy.
Tui Travel is offering four hotels – one five-star, the Paradisus Playa Conchal, a three-star-plus, the sprawling Occidental Allegro Papagayo, and two four-stars, the Occidental Grand Papagayo and the newly opened Riu Guanacaste. The latter is 701-room property that is set right on the beach in a secluded location surrounded by hills covered in lush jungle.
There are nine restaurants and bars, a nightclub, a casino and a spa, plus a gym with steam baths and Jacuzzis that are free to use. There’s a kids’ club, a children’s playground, and a pool for the kids, so younger family members are well-catered for. With a daily and evening entertainment programme, a free introductory scuba lesson for every guest and a range of complimentary water sports, there’s plenty to do.
Tour and stay
Tui is keen to give its guests the chance to get out of resort and see what the country has to offer so a range of day trips are available. These include white-water rafting on the Tenorio river, taking a skywalk through the Monteverde Cloud Forest, visiting Arenal Volcano and swimming in hot springs.
There are also three longer tours that can be combined with stays – a two-night quick-hit adventure, a four-day itinerary and then a seven-night tour giving a more comprehensive view of the whole country, coast to coast.
Tour-and-stay options are proving popular for Thomas Cook too – the company offers four or seven-night adventures to combine with beach breaks. Thomson Tailormade reports that most clients choose to round off their adventure tours with a stay at the Occidental Grand, the operator’s most popular beach resort. And while tours are still the main focus for Hayes & Jarvis’ clients in Costa Rica, beach bookings are on the rise too.
Adventure tours
Tour itineraries in Costa Rica are booming. Cox & Kings has seen its Natural Splendour of Costa Rica group tour increase passenger numbers by 40% year on year, and Trek America’s Costa Rica bookings are also up over 40% this year.
Explore launched a good value Captivating Costa Rica itinerary this year, which starts from £740 for 16 days, excluding flights, and Gap Adventures new tours in Costa Rica include a Budget Costa Rica trip aimed at the youth market (from £248 for eight nights excluding flights), a family experience and a yoga retreat.
Highlights of these itineraries often include Arenal Volcano, the Monteverde Cloud Forest, the Tortuguero National Park where turtles nest, the capital San Jose, and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Activities such as ziplining, rafting, diving and snorkelling, kayaking and trekking are all popular.
Sample produt
First Choice offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Riu Guanacaste from £1,069 including flights departing Gatwick on November 15. firstchoice.co.uk,
0871 200 4455
Travel 2 offers the 10-day Essential Costa Rica tour visiting San Jose, Tortuguero National Park, Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest from £2,029 including flights from London with Continental Airlines. travel2.com, 0800 022 4182
