- Air Transat will add two direct flights, one to the Liberia airport and another to Juan Santamaría
- A cooperative campaign will be developed over the course of the year to promote Costa Rica in the cities of Toronto and Montreal.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and the Canadian airline Air Transat confirmed an increase in the number of seats the company would offer to Costa Rica’s two international airports. Two flights originating in Toronto were added this winter, one to the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport and another to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
“Attracting airlines and a greater number of seats from our main tourist-sending markets is a significant achievement that benefits the country’s tourism market. It is a significant achievement that is the result of our ongoing efforts in this strategic area”, said the Costa Rican Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo.
“Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the popularity of Costa Rica among Canadian visitors, and Air Transat is pleased to be able to meet this demand with direct flights from Montreal and Toronto”, said Annick Guérard, Director of Operations at Air Transat. “This destination is ideal for nature lovers who are delighted to discover new experiences; it also appeals to those who love spending their vacation on the beaches and coasts”, she added.
Hermes Navarro, Director of Investment Attraction for ICT, confirmed that the agreement was signed at the end of January during a meeting at FITUR 2019, an international tourism fair in Spain, with representatives from the airline.
“We are very proud to deepen our ties with an airline that has proven its strength in Canada, especially in the cities of Montreal and Toronto, where most of the Canadian tourists who visit us come from”, Navarro said.
Air Transat operates several weekly flights to San José from Montreal (Monday and Friday) and Toronto (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). It also flies to Liberia three times per week from Toronto (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and twice from Montreal (Wednesday and Friday).
Continuous improvements in the Canadian market
The ICT is will also be carrying out a cooperative campaign with Air Transat over the coming year using the airline’s own communication media as well as other Canadian mass media with the aim of promoting travel to Costa Rica, especially in the cities of Toronto and Montreal Although the amount to be invested and the implementation date remain to be confirmed, each of the parties will contribute 50% of the investment.
Some 217,000 tourists arrive in Canada each year from all sources in 2018, which represented an increase of 7.5% over the previous year.
According to ICT statistics, 42% of Canadians who visit Costa Rica travel with their partner, 24% with their family, 22% on their own and 9% with friends. The average stay of tourists from Canada is 14 nights, and their average spending per person is $110 per day.
The preferences of Canadian visitors tend towards sun and beach activities (84%), hiking (50%), observing flora and fauna (61%), visiting volcanoes (46%) and enjoying hot springs (37%), among other activities. These exit surveys are delivered to tourists and are multiple-choice.
